1 Response to ao92krajicek_stich

1. Voo de Mar says:

   July 16, 2020 at 2:59 pm

   Points won by each set: [ 37-37, 43-39, 34-40, 36-35, 33-26 ]
   Points won directly on serve:
   41 % Krajicek – 73 of 175
   38 % Stich – 71 of 185

   Stich [5] was a pioneer of new type matches, quite typical for the 21st Century: in the Wimbledon semifinal ’91 in an all-serve-and-volley duel (vs Edberg) he became the first man to win ‘the best of 5’ meeting not breaking opponent’s serve; in Melbourne ’92 he co-produced with Krajicek [45] something unseen before on hardcourts – 3.5 hours of constant serve-and-volley game (neither of players decided to stay on the baseline even once behind the serve in 360 points! ##) with amazing – at the time – amount of unreturned serves & just three breaks of serve:

   1st set: as a receiver, Krajicek led twice 40/15, once 30/0, Stich had no chance on return in five games, but leading 6:5 he got his only break of the match at deuce… Stich was six points away from losing the set
   2nd set: at 5-all Stich saved a couple of mini-set points, then led 6:5 (30-all) when he thought that his backhand passing-shot was good to give him a set point; Krajicek took the breaker 7/2
   3rd set: this time Krajicek was serving first & the closest to win the set he was leading 6:5 (15-all) so three points away; Stich’s tie-break 7/1
   4th set: Stich had won their three previous matches (in 1991), all involving some drama, so when he was leading four times (break point in the longest “four deuce” game at 1:0), it seemed that it’d be a matter of time when he prevails in four sets… from *3:4 (40/30) Krajicek managed to get three straight games
   5th set: Stich seemed tired after three hours (he’d played four 4-setters before) while Krajicek stopped serving his regular bombs signalizing problems with his right shoulder, despite that the Dutchman held five times easily… the decisive break came at 3-all after Krajicek’s perfect BH return

   # Comparison of Krajicek’s two similar all-serve battles at Slams separated by ten years:
   Australian Open ’92 (QF): Krajicek d. Stich 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4… 3 hours 35 minutes… 7 points away… Total points: 183-177 (aces: 23-14)… Breaks: 2-1
   Wimbledon ’02 (4R): Krajicek d. Phil’ssis 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 7-6(5), 6-4… 4 hours 6 minutes… 3 points away… Total points: 188-201 (aces: 27-28)… Breaks: 2-1

   ## Other best servers at the time (Forget, Sampras, Becker, Ivanisevic) were playing pure serve-and-volley game on grass, on hardcourts they were attacking the net regularly only behind the 1st serves

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