1 Response to rg94berasategui_larsson

1. Voo de Mar says:

   June 7, 2024 at 1:22 pm

   Points won by each set: | 29-19, 27-21, 32-18 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   20 % Berasategui – 13 of 65
   19 % Larsson – 16 of 81

   One of the most unexpected French Open semifinals & the shortest ones in terms of the match-time – it lasted only 71 minutes! Larsson [46] seemed to be very tired after a 5-set quarterfinal thriller against Hendrik Dreekmann [89] while Berasategui [23], who had surprised everyone with his obsessive forehand, was playing off his backhand tremendously well on that day – under those circumstances the 23 cm taller Swede couldn’t do anything interesting (two years before he had defeated Berasategui 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 – it was a major debut for the Basque). Bersategui’s advancement to the French Open final has been absolutely incredible, especially in retrospect: he not only didn’t drop a set, he spent on the Parisian courts just over 8 hours in six matches (!) defeating five opponents (two seeded) he wasn’t a clear favorite against. His amazing route to the final:

   1R Wayne Ferreira 6-3 ret.
   2R (14)Cedric Pioline 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
   3R Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
   4R Javier Frana 6-2, 6-0 ret.
   QF (5)Goran Ivanisevic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
   SF Magnus Larsson 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

   Berasategui’s fourth major, in previous three he didn’t even reach the third round.
   Ferreira, Pioline & Kafelnikov were ranked as Nos. 14-21 in the world, so nowadays Berasategui (21-year-old then) couldn’t play against any of them in his first three matches (in this particular order) in a Grand Slam event, because they all would be seeded.

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