1 Response to rg00kuerten_ferrero

1. Voo de Mar says:

   April 19, 2024 at 6:13 pm

   Points won by each set: [ 39-35, 37-42, 24-35, 38-32, 26-24 ]
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   28 % Kuerten – 51 of 179
   15 % Ferrero – 24 of 153

   For 2 hours and 40 minutes the stunned crowd observed the 20-year-old Spaniard [16] with bleached hair as a much better player from the back of the court, winning vast majority of longer rallies, producing amazing amount of forehand winners of all sorts. Actually the favourite Kuerten [5] hung in there avoiding a straight set defeat thanks to very good serves in the opener (he saved a double break point at 3-all) and Ferrero’s easy mistake when he netted his forehand dropshot from quite comfortable position trying to save a set point. The young Spaniard had almost won eight games in a row when he led 2:0* (deuce) in the 4th set, a few minutes later he enlarged his advantage to 3:1. During the changing ends at 3:2 the Brazilian asked for a trainer to his sore back, and the three-minute break somehow distracted the rhythm of the underdog who lost his serve immediately. Ferrero serving at 4:5 saved three set points to have a game point – “Guga” made a backhand winner then. The deciding break came at 3:2 for Kuerten in the decider. In the following game he fought off a double break point with two big serves, and another big serve gave him the victory on his first match point. Kuerten’s second consecutive five-setter on Philippe Chatrier according to the same scenario – he was outplayed for two-and-half sets only to come back out of nowhere in the 4th sets!

   # Comparison of Kuerten’s back-to-back matches at French Open ’00:
   1/4 final: Kuerten d. Kafelnikov 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2… 3 hours 1 minute… Total points: 162-137… Guga trailed 2:4* (15/40) in the 4th set
   1/2 final: Kuerten d. Ferrero 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3… 3 hours 38 minutes… Total points: 164-168… Guga trailed *1:3 (40/30) in the 4th set

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