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Challengers Finish, Explained: What Happened?

Vaseline

Game, set, match? Well, if you’ve already seen it Challengers, then you know that is not always the case in this wild, horny and hot tennis world. Especially when we’re in the middle of a decade-plus love triangle and Zendaya is, well, just Zendaya. The film begins and ends with perhaps the most exciting match ever played at Phil’s Tire Town Challenger. Which leaves us with just one question: who won? We’ll have to look a little at the bigger picture to find out. So let’s take another look at the game footage and find out.

Here’s the ultimate breakdown of the Challengers end.

Okay, so a little refresher…

All along we have seen Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig battle it out on the court and they have reached match point, with Art in the lead and close to victory. Patrick, trying to keep his promise to Tashi, starts the match by serving into the net.

However, Patrick quickly turns heel and decides to taunt Art with the revelation that he did indeed have sex with Tashi the night before using Art’s signature service, which dates back to earlier in the film when they were still in their academy days. .

Art, surprised and wanting to intensify everything, allows Patrick to score against him, giving him the point and tying them together again, sending the match into a tiebreaker.

someone who plays tennis

@zendaya//Instagram

So what happened right after?

There’s some damn good tennis happening. It gets hot and sweaty on the field as the two boys go head-to-head in an attempt to get the big win. Luca Guadagnino’s directions take us around the entire pitch, where we see different POVs from the ball to just below the two players as they play their best match yet.

Of course, this match quickly turns into the most intense game of tennis and even Tashi can’t get enough of watching them. Things get super wild until Art tries to volleyball the ball back but instead jumps up super high in front of Patrick, causing the two to end up a sweaty mess on the court, hugging each other and even looking like they’re enjoying the moment a bit. Tashi shouts “COME ON!” as the screen pauses on her face and the film ends.

But wait, who won?!

The answer is technically… we don’t know…

According to the United States Tennis Association, an official tiebreak game, “The first player or team to win by seven points by two wins the tiebreak. This means the score can be very high (e.g. 15-13) or just as low.” from 7-0 to 7-5.”

So basically we were only seeing the beginning of the tiebreaker and there would be more of the match to go.

Moreover, this is exactly the kind of ending that screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes wanted to create.

“For me it was always completely impossible that we would find out who won. Because, at least from my perspective, once all their cards are on the table, once they really talk to each other and once they play real tennis – good tennis, the best tennis of their lives for the first time – they have gotten what they need from each other have and they may or may not move forward from this situation,” he said during a question and answer session after a Writers Guild of America, East screening in New York City.

“It always felt to me like once that happens, there’s nothing I’m interested in anymore,” he continued. “I think the point is that it’s not relevant to me. The match doesn’t matter anymore.”

So there you have it. In any case, we are all won over by seeing the best movie of the year!

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