1 Response to rg97kuerten_bruguera

1. Voo de Mar says:

   December 27, 2020 at 7:07 am

   Points won by each set: | 32-21, 45-37, 34-26 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   19 % Kuerten – 16 of 83
   8 % Bruguera – 9 of 112

   [66] Kuerten’s just 20th main-level tournament (34 Challengers at the time). He won seven matches in Paris although he hadn’t even won three in a row in onemain-level tournament before! He came to Paris having won a Challenger in Curitiba though. In the crucial 2nd set, Kuerten saved three mini-set points at 4-all. Their first meeting, met thrice overall, all matches won by the Brazilian. [19] Bruguera’s end of being the most successful player in Paris of the 90s; he triumphed in the years 1993-94, lost the semifinal in 1995 and the second round in 1996, but defeated by the top seed Sampras. He was just 26, yet he never entered at least the third round afterwards. “He played an outstanding match,” Bruguera admitted. “Maybe I waited for him to give me the match, and he went for the match.” The following week Kuerten goes to Bologna where he loses in the final (Mantilla snapped his 16-match winning streak).

   Kuerten’s route to his maiden (!) title:
   1 Slava Dosedel 6-0, 7-5, 6-4
   2 Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
   3 Thomas Muster 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
   4 Andrei Medvedev 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
   Q Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-2, 5-7, 2-6, 6-0, 6-4
   S Filip Dewulf 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
   W Sergi Bruguera 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

   # Kuerten 5 points away from losing two consecutive matches: trailed *0:3 & 3:4 (15/30) in the 5th set vs Muster (Guga saved Muster’s two game points at 4-all); against Medvedev, he saved a triple mini-match point at 4-all in the decider (halted a day before at 2-all in that set)… Kuerten’s three consecutive five-setters lasted: 3:08h, 2:45h & 2:30h

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