1 Response to uo00safin_sampras

1. Voo de Mar says:

   March 7, 2024 at 10:41 pm

   Points won by each set: | 29-26, 26-23, 34-23 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   30 % Safin – 25 of 82
   44 % Sampras – 35 of 79

   # Safin [7] actually did to Sampras [4] the same what Sampras had done to Agassi ten years before – gave him no chance. One slight difference: Sampras overwhelmed his opponent with serves, forehands & volleys while Safin with serves, forehands & backhands. The American was serving very well (except one game in the opener) until he led 3:2 in the 2nd set, then something bad happened, and he was in danger in five consecutive service games (!) – broken three times in a row, then he needed to save break points to hold twice escaping a disaster in the 3rd set. When everything seemed done & dusted, out of nowhere Sampras created his lone break points in the last game of the championships – Safin saved them with shots he hadn’t tried in the final until those moments: drive-volley (FH) & overhead! “I steamrollered over Andre when I won here for the first time in 1990 and this time Marat steamrollered over me.” Sampras summed up his experiences at the US Open over a decade period. He and Safin met at the US Open ’98 in the fourth round, Sampras won easily against the debutant; the following year they were drawn to face each other already in the first round, but Sampras withdrew due to injury (replaced him Tillstrom who lost to Safin in five sets).

   Safin’s route to his 5th title:
   1 Thierry Guardiola 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4
   2 Gianluca Pozzi 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
   3 Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(5)
   4 Juan-Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
   Q Nicolas Kiefer 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
   S Todd Martin 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(1)
   W Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-3

   # Safin was two points away from losing the 3-hour 25-minute third round match (Grosjean better in total points: 170-156)

   # Comparison of US Open finals beginning new decades:
   1990: Sampras d. Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 6-2… 1 hour 42 minutes… Total points: 98-73 (aces: 13-0)
   2000: Safin d. Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-3… 1 hour 38 minutes… Total points: 89-72 (aces: 12-8)

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