diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/usearch.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/usearch.cpp
index 945daf28619..3952d7d0ef7 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/usearch.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/usearch.cpp
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ void checkBreakBoundary(const UStringSearch *strsrch, int32_t *start,
                                int32_t *end)
 {
 #if !UCONFIG_NO_BREAK_ITERATION
-    UBreakIterator *breakiterator = strsrch->search->breakIter;
+    UBreakIterator *breakiterator = strsrch->search->_breakIter_;
     if (breakiterator) {
 	    int32_t matchend = *end;
 	    int32_t matchstart = *start;
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ UBool isBreakUnit(const UStringSearch *strsrch, int32_t start,
 #if !UCONFIG_NO_BREAK_ITERATION
     UBreakIterator *breakiterator = strsrch->search->breakIter;
     //TODO: Add here.
-    if (breakiterator && strsrch->search->breakIterGiven) {
+    if (breakiterator) {
         int32_t startindex = ubrk_first(breakiterator);
         int32_t endindex   = ubrk_last(breakiterator);
         
@@ -1161,7 +1161,7 @@ inline UBool checkNextExactMatch(UStringSearch *strsrch,
     }
 
     //Add breakiterator boundary check for primary strength search.
-    if (!strsrch->search->breakIterGiven && strsrch->strength == UCOL_PRIMARY) {
+    if (!strsrch->search->breakIter && strsrch->strength == UCOL_PRIMARY) {
     	checkBreakBoundary(strsrch, &start, textoffset);
     }
         
@@ -2009,7 +2009,7 @@ inline UBool checkPreviousExactMatch(UStringSearch *strsrch,
     }
     
     //Add breakiterator boundary check for primary strength search.
-    if (!strsrch->search->breakIterGiven && strsrch->strength == UCOL_PRIMARY) {
+    if (!strsrch->search->breakIter && strsrch->strength == UCOL_PRIMARY) {
     	checkBreakBoundary(strsrch, textoffset, &end);
     }
     
@@ -2600,17 +2600,13 @@ U_CAPI UStringSearch * U_EXPORT2 usearch_openFromCollator(
         result->pattern.textLength = patternlength;
         result->pattern.CE         = NULL;
         
-        // If a breakiterator is given, use that one, otherwise create a character break iterator.
-        result->search->breakIterGiven = breakiter ? TRUE : FALSE;
+        result->search->breakIter  = breakiter;
 #if !UCONFIG_NO_BREAK_ITERATION
-        if (!breakiter && result->strength == UCOL_PRIMARY) {
-        	breakiter = ubrk_open(UBRK_CHARACTER, ucol_getLocale(result->collator, ULOC_VALID_LOCALE, status), NULL, 0, status);
-        }
+        result->search->_breakIter_ = ubrk_open(UBRK_CHARACTER, ucol_getLocale(result->collator, ULOC_VALID_LOCALE, status), text, textlength, status);
         if (breakiter) {
-            ubrk_setText(breakiter, text, textlength, status);
+        	ubrk_setText(breakiter, text, textlength, status);
         }
 #endif
-        result->search->breakIter  = breakiter;
 
         result->ownCollator           = FALSE;
         result->search->matchedLength = 0;
@@ -2791,7 +2787,7 @@ U_CAPI void U_EXPORT2 usearch_setBreakIterator(UStringSearch  *strsrch,
                                                UErrorCode     *status)
 {
     if (U_SUCCESS(*status) && strsrch) {
-        strsrch->search->breakIter = breakiter;
+    	strsrch->search->breakIter = breakiter;
         if (breakiter) {
             ubrk_setText(breakiter, strsrch->search->text, 
                          strsrch->search->textLength, status);
@@ -2835,6 +2831,7 @@ U_CAPI void U_EXPORT2 usearch_setText(      UStringSearch *strsrch,
                 ubrk_setText(strsrch->search->breakIter, text, 
                              textlength, status);
             }
+            ubrk_setText(strsrch->search->_breakIter_, text, textlength, status);
 #endif
         }
     }
@@ -2867,6 +2864,11 @@ U_CAPI void U_EXPORT2 usearch_setCollator(      UStringSearch *strsrch,
             strsrch->collator    = collator;
             strsrch->strength    = ucol_getStrength(collator);
             strsrch->ceMask      = getMask(strsrch->strength);
+#if !UCONFIG_NO_BREAK_ITERATION
+        	ubrk_close(strsrch->search->_breakIter_);
+        	strsrch->search->_breakIter_ = ubrk_open(UBRK_CHARACTER, ucol_getLocale(collator, ULOC_VALID_LOCALE, status), 
+        											 strsrch->search->text, strsrch->search->textLength, status);
+#endif
             // if status is a failure, ucol_getAttribute returns UCOL_DEFAULT
             strsrch->toShift     =  
                ucol_getAttribute(collator, UCOL_ALTERNATE_HANDLING, status) == 
@@ -3469,7 +3471,7 @@ UBool usearch_handlePreviousExact(UStringSearch *strsrch, UErrorCode *status)
             if (firstce == UCOL_NULLORDER || firstce == UCOL_IGNORABLE) {
                 firstce = targetce;
             }
-            if (targetce == UCOL_IGNORABLE) {
+            if (targetce == UCOL_IGNORABLE && strsrch->strength != UCOL_PRIMARY) {
                 continue;
             }         
             if (targetce == patternce[0]) {
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/usrchimp.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/usrchimp.h
index b7a1bfa08ea..4df21427807 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/usrchimp.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/usrchimp.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ struct USearch {
           int32_t             textLength; // exact length
           UBool               isOverlap;
           UBool               isCanonicalMatch;
-          UBool				  breakIterGiven;
+          UBreakIterator	 *_breakIter_;  //internal character breakiterator
           UBreakIterator     *breakIter;
     // value USEARCH_DONE is the default value
     // if we are not at the start of the text or the end of the text, 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchdat.c b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchdat.c
index f65b35b808b..af0fdf680b6 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchdat.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchdat.c
@@ -487,6 +487,8 @@ static const SearchData CONTRACTIONCANONICAL[] = {
 
 static const SearchData DIACTRICMATCH[] = {
 		{"\\u0061\\u0061\\u00E1", "\\u0061\\u00E1", NULL, UCOL_SECONDARY, NULL, {1, -1}, {2}},
+		{"\\u0020\\u00C2\\u0303\\u0020\\u0041\\u0061\\u1EAA\\u0041\\u0302\\u0303\\u00C2\\u0303\\u1EAB\\u0061\\u0302\\u0303\\u00E2\\u0303\\uD806\\uDC01\\u0300\\u0020",
+		 "\\u00C2\\u0303", "LDE_AN_CX_EX_FX_HX_NX_S1", UCOL_PRIMARY, NULL, {1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16,-1}, {2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2}},
 		{NULL, NULL, NULL, UCOL_TERTIARY, NULL, {-1}, {0}}
 };
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchtst.c b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchtst.c
index b9fce7f2a9a..9b2c9cf380a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchtst.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/usrchtst.c
@@ -1542,21 +1542,32 @@ static void TestDiactricMatch(void)
     UChar          pattern[128];
     UChar          text[128];
     UErrorCode     status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
-    UStringSearch *strsrch;
-    uint32_t       count = 0;
+    UStringSearch *strsrch = NULL;
+    UCollator *coll = NULL;
+    uint32_t       count = 1;
+    UBool collatorCreated = FALSE;
 
     memset(pattern, 0, 128*sizeof(UChar));
     memset(text, 0, 128*sizeof(UChar));
-
-    strsrch = usearch_open(pattern, 1, text, 1, uloc_getDefault(), NULL, 
-                                       &status);
-    if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
-        log_err("Error opening string search %s\n", u_errorName(status));
-    }   
-    
-    ucol_setStrength(usearch_getCollator(strsrch), DIACTRICMATCH[count].strength);
+       
     
     while (DIACTRICMATCH[count].text != NULL) {
+    	if (DIACTRICMATCH[count].collator != NULL) {
+    		coll = ucol_openFromShortString(DIACTRICMATCH[count].collator, FALSE, NULL, &status);
+    		collatorCreated = TRUE;
+    	} else {
+    		coll = getCollator(DIACTRICMATCH[count].collator);
+    		collatorCreated = FALSE;
+    	}
+    	if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
+	        log_err("Error opening string search collator %s\n", u_errorName(status));
+	        return;
+	    }
+    	strsrch = usearch_openFromCollator(pattern, 1, text, 1, coll, DIACTRICMATCH[count].breaker, &status);
+    	if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
+	        log_err("Error opening string search %s\n", u_errorName(status));
+	        return;
+	    }
         u_unescape(DIACTRICMATCH[count].text, text, 128);
         u_unescape(DIACTRICMATCH[count].pattern, pattern, 128);
         usearch_setText(strsrch, text, -1, &status);
@@ -1565,8 +1576,11 @@ static void TestDiactricMatch(void)
             log_err("Error at test number %d\n", count);
         }
         count ++;
+        if (collatorCreated) {
+        	ucol_close(coll);
+        }
+        usearch_close(strsrch);
     }
-    usearch_close(strsrch);
 }
 
 static void TestCanonical(void)
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/srchtest.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/srchtest.cpp
index cdec4db7363..cde9da4bdd3 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/srchtest.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/srchtest.cpp
@@ -1551,31 +1551,36 @@ void StringSearchTest::TestDiactricMatch()
 	UChar temp[128];
     UErrorCode status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
     int        count  = 0;
+    RuleBasedCollator* coll = NULL;
+    StringSearch *strsrch = NULL;
 
     UnicodeString pattern("pattern");
     UnicodeString text("text");
-    StringSearch *strsrch = new StringSearch(pattern, text, Locale::getDefault(), NULL, 
-                                             status);
-    if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
-        errln("Error opening string search %s", u_errorName(status));
-        return;
-    }   
     
-    strsrch->getCollator()->setStrength(getECollationStrength(DIACTRICMATCH[count].strength));
+    const SearchData *search; 
     
-    while (DIACTRICMATCH[count].text != NULL) {
-        u_unescape(DIACTRICMATCH[count].text, temp, 128);
+    search = &(DIACTRICMATCH[count]);
+    while (search->text != NULL) {
+   		coll = getCollator(search->collator);
+    	coll->setStrength(getECollationStrength(search->strength));
+    	strsrch = new StringSearch(pattern, text, coll, getBreakIterator(search->breaker), status);
+    	if (U_FAILURE(status)) {
+	        errln("Error opening string search %s", u_errorName(status));
+	        return;
+	    }  
+        u_unescape(search->text, temp, 128);
         text.setTo(temp, u_strlen(temp));
-        u_unescape(DIACTRICMATCH[count].pattern, temp, 128);
+        u_unescape(search->pattern, temp, 128);
         pattern.setTo(temp, u_strlen(temp));
         strsrch->setText(text, status);
         strsrch->setPattern(pattern, status);
-        if (!assertEqualWithStringSearch(strsrch, &DIACTRICMATCH[count])) {
+        if (!assertEqualWithStringSearch(strsrch, search)) {
             errln("Error at test number %d", count);
         }
-        count ++;
+        search = &(DIACTRICMATCH[++count]);
+        delete strsrch;
     }
-    delete strsrch;
+    
 }
  
 void StringSearchTest::TestCanonical()