2 Responses 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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2. Voo de Mar says:

   April 6, 2024 at 8:57 pm

   Krajicek advanced to the Aussie Open ’92 semifinals not only in singles, but also in doubles (along with Siemerink).
   Playing so many matches within two weeks caused tendinitis in his shoulder; he retired in the doubles semi-final, and withdrew from his singles semi-final against Courier.

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