1 Response to ao97sampras_costa

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 18, 2016 at 5:12 am

   Points won by each set: | 34-24, 37-37, 27-16, 21-26, 29-20 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   41 % Sampras – 56 of 134… 18 % Costa – 26 of 137
   Points won with winners:
   43 % Sampras – 65 of 148… 38 % Costa – 47 of 123

   Costa [13] was lucky to experience a five-set match against the best player in the world. The 21-year-old Spaniard played very well to save a double mini-set point at 5-all in the 2nd set (the tie-break he won 7/5 with a combination of dropshot and passing-shot), then in the 4th set he took an advantage of Sampras’ only sloppy service game in the entire contest to break him for a 5:3 lead with a pushing forehand return (a shot he had not used before). So Sampras, who looked almost unbreakable, somehow lost two sets, but the match was quick as a five-setter: 2 hours 52 minutes, exactly the same lasted Sampras’ longer (in terms of games) five-setter against Hrbaty, much more offensive baseliner than Costa.

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