paris04stepanek_mirnyi

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1 Response to paris04stepanek_mirnyi

  1. Voo de Mar says:
    Points won by each set: | 22-28, 46-42, 31-22 |
    Points won directly behind the serve:
    44 % Stepanek – 40 of 90
    36 % Mirnyi – 36 of 101

    Unexpected semifinal in old-fashioned style, the last Masters 1K semifinal in which the majority of points was played at the net (when the ball was in play). Mirnyi [71], like always, was attacking the net behind his both serves while Stepanek [63] was mixing it up, but when he stayed back, the Belarusian was trying to play chip-and-charge. Through 80 minutes it looked like a straight sets win for Mirnyi, and his second advancement to the Masters 1K final – he was holding without any troubles and led 6-3, 4-all (30/0) when Stepanek’s shoelaces were untied after his missed second serve. Quite often in situations like that, when something disrupts between first and second serves, a double fault is seen, that time Stepanek played a perfect S/V action though, and took the tie-break 7/1. He got the only break at 1-all in the 2nd set (Mirnyi had his chance to break back in the following game).

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