1 Response to uo78connors_borg

1. Voo de Mar says:

   August 22, 2020 at 9:58 pm

   Points won by each set: | 42-35, 36-29, 27-18 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   17 % Connors – 14 of 79
   17 % Borg – 19 of 108

   After three years on green clay, the US Open switched to hardcourts in 1978 (DecoTurf is the name of the surface which won’t be replaced until 2020)… Borg had lost to Tom Gullikson 2-6, 4-6 in the quarterfinals in Miami on May 3, 1978 and afterwards he was unbeaten until the US Open final (took place on September 10, 1978) – in the meantime he collected 49 wins which is the Open Era record; Connors in turn, entered the final having won 23 matches in a row! Borg’s racquet slipped out of his hand twice: at 1:3 (deuce) in the 2nd set and to start the 3rd set – it could have been affected by his right-thumb injury. Connors wasn’t even forced to face a break point (!) – 3 out of 13 games he held at ‘deuce’. He won’t beat Borg again losing their following 10 pro-meetings!

   Connors’ route to his 70th title:
   1 Tom Gullikson 6-0, 6-2
   2 Steve Docherty 6-1, 6-3
   3 Pat DuPre 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
   4 Adriano Panatta 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 7-5
   Q Brian Gottfried 6-2, 7-6, 6-1
   S John McEnroe 6-2, 6-2, 7-5
   W Bjorn Borg 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

   The first three round in the ‘best of 3’ format for the fourth and last time!
   Connors survived a 3-hour 36-minute struggle against Panatta being two points away from defeat at 4:5* in the 5th set

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