break (someone's) serve
In tennis, to win a game that is being served by one's opponent. She broke her opponent's serve in the last game, and it looks like the match is now firmly in her control. It won't be easy to break his serve, but you'll lose the match if you don't. That guy's a legend on the court—do you really think I'll be able to break his serve?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
break someone's serve
In tennis and related sports, win a game served by one's opponent, as in The only way he'll win the match is to break Bill's serve. The use of serve, from the earlier service, meaning "starting play" in these sports, dates from the early 1600s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.