Hit a Winning Serve

Hit a winning serve crossword clue. A daily big one crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph, Sydney newspaper on Monday, 24 July 2017. 4 letters.

The answer is ACED

In Lawn Tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not returned because the server’s opponent never touches the ball with their racquet, thereby losing the point. No announcer in any tournament across the globe calls ace when the ball touches the racquet.

However some announcers will say things like “that serve is as good as an ace” if the the opponent touchs the ball but doesn’t return it. But as far as the match stats only the serves that were not touched get counted as an ace.