"Imagine if we had to play five sets" - Magda Linette reacts to her Abu Dhabi Open 2R loss to Beatriz Haddad Maia in longest match of 2024

Magda Linette and Beatriz Haddad Maia played out the longest WTA match of 2024 so far on Wednesday (February 7) at the Abu Dhabi Open.

Sixth-seed Haddad Maia triumphed 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-1 in three hours and 42 minutes, eclipsing the previous longest match of the season between Anastasia Potapova and Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the Brisbane International. Potapova won that match 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-4 in three hours and 26 minutes.

Linette and Haddad Maia played a solid first set, with the Brazilian snatching it 8-6 in the tie-breaker. The second set saw a reversal in fortunes, with Linette winning 7-1 in the tie-breaker and forcing the decider.

With the lights having to be turned on for the last set, Haddad Maia stood strong to convincingly take it 6-1 and win the marathon match.

Reflecting on the monumental clash via her X (formerly Twitter) account, Linette joked about having to compete in a best-of-five match.

"Now, imagine if we had to play five sets," Linette wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Haddad Maia, who's no stranger to lengthy matches, held the record for the longest match of 2023 as well. Since the beginning of 2022, she has competed in 11 matches that have gone over three hours and has won seven of them.

On Wednesday, Haddad Maia credited her team for helping her keep her emotions in check, and reiterated the competitive spirit in her, saying that she never gives up.

"I think my team need to take care of their hearts," Haddad Maia said with a laugh in the on-court interview. "Sometimes tennis, it's not easy to manage the emotions. In the tiebreak I was a little bit frustrated, and that caused another set. But there is one quality for me that is very important, and it's that I never give up and I always try one more time."

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A look at Magda Linette's 2024 season so far

Magda Linette at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open - Getty Images

Magda Linette kicked off her 2024 season at the Brisbane International with a straight-set win over Cristina Busca. In the next round, she fell to fifth seed Daria Kasatkina.

At the Adelaide International the following week, Linette lost in the first round to Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 6-7(8), 5-7.

Seeded 20th at the Australian Open, Linette retired mid-match in the first round against former champion Caroline Wozniacki.

There was no change in fortune at the Hua Hin Championship, as the Polish star went down in her opening match against Diana Shnaider in three.

With two wins and five losses for the season, Magda Linette will look to rediscover the old form that saw her reach as high as No. 19 in the WTA rankings last year.