2 Responses to kb91courier_wheaton

1. Voo de Mar says:

   November 22, 2023 at 7:44 am

   Points won by each set: | 30-33, 31-21, 32-28 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   27 % Courier – 25 of 91
   30 % Wheaton – 25 of 84

   Still the so-called “fifth Slam”… actually it didn’t make sense already a year before, even though the final was still held ‘best of five’; comparing to the 80s, the draw was cut from 128 to 96 which meant 32 seeded players had ‘bye’ in the first round…
   In the ’91 final (first final of this event ‘best of three’) an unexpected encounter of two former colleagues from the Nick Bolettieri’s academy, both Americans which was a reminiscence of the first edition’s final. 22-year-old Wheaton [43], the survivor of a match point down third round vs Curren, had easily won the first official meeting against Courier two years before, and in the opener he looked like someone who also had defeated the one-year younger Courier several times when they were training together. Courier [18] managed to take the upper hand in the following two sets from 3-all onwards. The decider played under the floodlights (Wheaton switched his cap to a headband) was much more interesting; Courier led 2:0* (30/0) when Wheaton got four successive points with an overhead and three aces; then at 3:1* (40/30) Wheaton fired an ace to break back in the following game. There was 3-all (30/15) for Wheaton when he served well again, but his apparent ace turned to be a let, and his momentum slipped away. Courier served out the championship with a bunch of powerful serves at love. “It was pretty much a dead-even match all the way through,” Courier said. “I think we both can play a lot better than we did today. But I’m not complaining.” It was his second big title within three weeks (after Indian Wells); being asked about his chances to win a major that year, he stated that the best chance he would have at the French Open, and indeed he claimed his first Grand Slam title there.

   Courier’s route to his 3rd title:
   2 Luis Herrera 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3
   3 Paul Haarhuis 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
   4 Guy Forget 7-6(3), 6-3
   Q Derrick Rostagno 6-0, 6-3
   S Richey Reneberg 6-4, 6-3
   W David Wheaton 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   November 22, 2023 at 9:46 am

   In the early 90s, Wheaton belonged to a new generation of ~195 cm serve-and-volleyers, along with Stich, Krajicek & Ivanisevic. These players were able to hold in the blink of an eye serving ~190 kph (it was fast serving in the 90s), but Wheaton finished his career distinctively less successful even though he possessed more stable backhand than the other three guys. Following his Key Biscayne final, he reached the Wimbledon semifinal and broke the bank in Munich – these three results of 1991 remained his best until the end of his career nine years later. In doubles, the year 1991 was also his best.

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