The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has long been one of the jewels of the ATP calendar, a stop where glitzy cityscapes meet high-stakes tennis under the desert lights. Back in 2005, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer famously turned the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah helipad into the most breathtaking practice court on the planet, hammering balls hundreds of metres above the Gulf. That same tournament has produced its fair share of drama on the court, and few matches sum up the event's knack for the extraordinary better than Andy Murray's 2017 quarter-final against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Murray arrived in the Emirates with more than a few question marks hanging over him. He had suffered a shock exit at the Australian Open against Mischa Zverev in January and then had a bout of shingles to contend with. Fortunately, his mother-in-law spotted the condition early, which stopped it from becoming a far nastier problem. Given that backdrop, nobody would have blamed the Scot for easing his way back into things. Instead, the world number one produced the sort of grit that turned a routine quarter-final into a full-blown classic.
He reached the last eight by brushing aside Tunisian Malek Jaziri in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, which was a solid start. But against Kohlschreiber, the wheels nearly came off. The German took the opening set 7-6(4), and as the second set headed towards another tie-break, Murray found himself in a world of trouble. What followed was pure box-office stuff.
Kohlschreiber held the upper hand for long stretches and carved out seven match points. Murray, cool as a cucumber when it mattered most, refused to blink. The second-set tie-break dragged on for a staggering 31 minutes, with Murray eventually taking it 20-18 to level the match. It was the first time at tour level since 1991 that a match featured a tie-break with more than 38 points. In other words, it was one for the ages.
Among the many heart-stopping moments, one drop shot stood out from the rest. With Kohlschreiber leading 9-8 in the breaker and Murray serving, the pair traded blows in a 15-shot rally. Just when it looked as though the point might never end, Murray pulled out a cross-court drop shot that saved match point. The crowd went wild, and the momentum flipped in an instant.
Murray knew exactly how bonkers the whole thing had been. Speaking to BBC Sport, he admitted: “I’ll probably never play another one like that again. I’ve been playing on the tour for 11, 12 years now and nothing, nothing’s been close to that.” When a man with Murray’s CV says something like that, it hits home.
The cherry on top? After surviving the longest and wildest tie-break of his career, Murray needed just 30 minutes to roll through the deciding set 6-1. That is the kind of mental resilience that separates the greats from the rest. The final scoreline read 6-7(4), 7-6(20-18), 6-1, but it barely told half the story.
Here is the wild ride in numbers:
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tie-break score | 20-18 |
| Tie-break duration | 31 minutes |
| Match points saved | 7 |
| First 38+ point tie-break since | 1991 |
| Final set time | 30 minutes |
| Final set score | 6-1 |
After that draining triumph, Murray moved on to face France’s Lucas Pouille in the semi-finals, while Fernando Verdasco booked the other spot in the final after beating Robin Haase. For fans who tuned in that week, the quarter-final was proof that even in a tournament known for luxury hotels, rooftop courts and glamorous surroundings, the real fireworks happen between the tramlines.
Looking back from 2026, the Murray-Kohlschreiber marathon still ranks among the most bonkers tie-breaks the ATP has ever dished up. It was a reminder that tennis is not always about clean winners and perfect footwork; sometimes it is about digging in, saving match point after match point, and finding a drop shot when the pressure is at its absolute peak. Not too shabby for a man who had just fought off shingles.
Dubai has hosted plenty of shiny moments over the years, and the 2005 helipad hit-out between Agassi and Federer remains one of the sport’s most iconic photos. But for pure drama, Murray vs Kohlschreiber sits right up there. It was a nail-biter, a marathon, and a testament to why tennis fans keep coming back for more.
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