masters81lendl_gerulaitis

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1 Response to masters81lendl_gerulaitis

  1. Voo de Mar says:
    Points won by each set: | 41-43, 29-36, 45-43, 38-26, 27-24 |
    Points won directly behind the serve:
    32 % Lendl – 58 of 177
    22 % Gerulaitis – 39 of 175

    Lendl won ‘Masters’ five times within seven years, it was his first triumph in second appearance. In January ’82 he won his first personal huge title (13 months earlier triumphed in Davis Cup as a leader of the Czechoslovakia team), in a very dramatic final. Gerulaitis had three break points leading 2:0 in the 3rd set (including 40/15), afterwards Lendl saved a match point with an overhead in the 8/6 tie-break. “I didn’t want to go two breaks down,” Lendl said afterwards, recalling the key third game, “I just wanted to come back. All you can do is keep fighting and fighting and fighting.” There was very untypical situation at the beginning of the match when a cat appeared on the court, then run away 🙂

    Lendl’s route to his 17th title:
    rr. Guillermo Vilas 6-4, 6-1
    rr. Vitas Gerulaitis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
    rr. * Jose-Luis Clerc w/o
    S John McEnroe 6-4, 6-2
    W Vitas Gerulaitis 6-7(5), 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-4 – 1 m.p.

    * Clerc had no chance to advance to the semifinals, at the time no substitute player at Masters

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