MADRID, February 21, 2017

A third edition of Tie Break Tens, the quick-fire tie-break tennis format, will take place in Madrid in May, with men’s and women’s events running side-by-side, a new knock-out format, and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova part of a world-class field of 16 players.

The event will take place in a single evening – Thursday 4th May – at the Caja Magica, in partnership with tournament organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid.

A prize money pot of $500,000 will be on offer, split equally between the men’s and women’s winners, with $100,000 of the total going to charity.

World No.5 Kei Nishikori and home favourite Feliciano López will be part of the men’s line-up, with the rest of the men’s and women’s line-ups to be announced in the coming weeks.

Sharapova said: ‘I’m excited to have the chance to play Tie Break Tens for the first time. The format of playing only ten-point tie-breaks means we need to be at our best from the very first point, which will make the whole event intense to play and to watch.’ 

Kei Nishikori added: ‘Tie-Breaks provide some of the best moments in tennis, so to have the chance to play Tie Break Tens, in which every match is a ten point tie-break, will be a great experience. I am very much looking forward to it.”

And Feliciano Lopez said: ‘I have played 500 tie-breaks in my career and they are always exciting whether you win them or lose them. Tie Break Tens in Madrid is going to be great – fast, competitive and entertaining for the fans.”

Both the men’s and women’s events will feature eight-player knockout fields, with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals played in a single night. It will be broadcast live in Spain by Teledeporte TVE.

Tie Break Tens arrives in Madrid after successful editions in London and Vienna where home favourites Kyle Edmund and Dominic Thiem won the titles, beating Andy Murray in their respective finals.

What the London and Vienna champions said about Tie Break Tens:

Kyle Edmund: “To win that amount of money in one night was amazing. For a young player like me it is brilliant because I was able to invest in my team, and in my career generally.”

Dominic Thiem: “Tie Break Tens has a great future. It’s a great format and a lot of fun. The final I had with Andy Murray was really tense, serious tennis and I would love to play it again.”