diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_test.go
index 013fcf81e3b..cc8f715c700 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_test.go
@@ -390,6 +390,12 @@ func TestWatchSemanticInitialEventsExtended(t *testing.T) {
 	storagetesting.RunWatchSemanticInitialEventsExtended(context.TODO(), t, store)
 }
 
+func TestWatchListMatchSingle(t *testing.T) {
+	store, terminate := testSetupWithEtcdAndCreateWrapper(t)
+	t.Cleanup(terminate)
+	storagetesting.RunWatchListMatchSingle(context.TODO(), t, store)
+}
+
 // ===================================================
 // Test-setup related function are following.
 // ===================================================
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
index 152c27daafd..04a2617d640 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
@@ -696,6 +696,7 @@ func (w *watchCache) isIndexValidLocked(index int) bool {
 // be called under the watchCache lock.
 func (w *watchCache) getAllEventsSinceLocked(resourceVersion uint64, key string, opts storage.ListOptions) (*watchCacheInterval, error) {
 	_, matchesSingle := opts.Predicate.MatchesSingle()
+	matchesSingle = matchesSingle && !opts.Recursive
 	if opts.SendInitialEvents != nil && *opts.SendInitialEvents {
 		return w.getIntervalFromStoreLocked(key, matchesSingle)
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/watcher_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/watcher_test.go
index b8c046d22cd..1d809ff6f44 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/watcher_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/watcher_test.go
@@ -144,6 +144,11 @@ func TestEtcdWatchSemanticInitialEventsExtended(t *testing.T) {
 	storagetesting.RunWatchSemanticInitialEventsExtended(ctx, t, store)
 }
 
+func TestWatchListMatchSingle(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, store, _ := testSetup(t)
+	storagetesting.RunWatchListMatchSingle(ctx, t, store)
+}
+
 // =======================================================================
 // Implementation-specific tests are following.
 // The following tests are exercising the details of the implementation
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/testing/watcher_tests.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/testing/watcher_tests.go
index dee88a0e61d..89672d80624 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/testing/watcher_tests.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/testing/watcher_tests.go
@@ -1571,6 +1571,61 @@ func RunWatchSemanticInitialEventsExtended(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, st
 	testCheckNoMoreResults(t, w)
 }
 
+func RunWatchListMatchSingle(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, store storage.Interface) {
+	trueVal := true
+	expectedInitialEventsInStrictOrder := func(initialPod *example.Pod, globalResourceVersion string) []watch.Event {
+		watchEvents := []watch.Event{}
+		watchEvents = append(watchEvents, watch.Event{Type: watch.Added, Object: initialPod})
+		watchEvents = append(watchEvents, watch.Event{Type: watch.Bookmark, Object: &example.Pod{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				ResourceVersion: globalResourceVersion,
+				Annotations:     map[string]string{metav1.InitialEventsAnnotationKey: "true"},
+			},
+		}})
+		return watchEvents
+	}
+	featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, features.WatchList, true)
+
+	// add the pod for which the field selector will be constructed
+	ns := "ns-foo"
+	expectedPod := &example.Pod{}
+	initialPod := makePod("1")
+	initialPod.Namespace = ns
+	err := store.Create(ctx, computePodKey(initialPod), initialPod, expectedPod, 0)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to add a pod: %v")
+
+	// add more pods that won't match the field selector
+	lastAddedPod := &example.Pod{}
+	for _, otherPod := range []*example.Pod{makePod("2"), makePod("3"), makePod("4"), makePod("5")} {
+		otherPod.Namespace = ns
+		err = store.Create(ctx, computePodKey(otherPod), otherPod, lastAddedPod, 0)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "failed to add a pod: %v")
+	}
+
+	opts := storage.ListOptions{
+		Predicate: storage.SelectionPredicate{
+			Label: labels.Everything(),
+			Field: fields.ParseSelectorOrDie("metadata.name=pod-1"),
+			GetAttrs: func(obj runtime.Object) (labels.Set, fields.Set, error) {
+				pod := obj.(*example.Pod)
+				return nil, fields.Set{"metadata.name": pod.Name}, nil
+			},
+		},
+		Recursive: true,
+	}
+	opts.SendInitialEvents = &trueVal
+	opts.Predicate.AllowWatchBookmarks = true
+
+	w, err := store.Watch(context.Background(), "/pods", opts)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to create watch: %v")
+	defer w.Stop()
+
+	// make sure we only get a single pod matching the field selector
+	// followed by the bookmark with the global RV
+	testCheckResultsInStrictOrder(t, w, expectedInitialEventsInStrictOrder(expectedPod, lastAddedPod.ResourceVersion))
+	testCheckNoMoreResults(t, w)
+}
+
 func makePod(namePrefix string) *example.Pod {
 	return &example.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{