Points won by each set: | 19-30, 29-18, 34-27, 31-22 |
Points won directly behind the serve:
35 % Annacone – 38 of 106
26 % McEnroe – 28 of 104
In his previous nine US Open appearances, McEnroe [9] always reached at least the fourth round (triumphed four times), so from this perspective his first round departure it was a shocker, but in 1986 he came back after a 7-month break and it was just his third main-level event since the return. Such a match on day 1 of the event almost couldn’t have happened: Annacone [20] was a sensation of 1985, a Top 10 contender, but the following year he was gradually losing his ranking and quite unexpectedly he wasn’t seeded in New York. Two factors contributed to the bizarre scoreline: Annacone’s phenomenal service performance & McEnroe’s sloppy S&V game-style – the 3rd game of the 3rd set was the most telling when Big Mac lost three consecutive points to be broken, hitting overheads in each point.
Points won by each set: | 19-30, 29-18, 34-27, 31-22 |
Points won directly behind the serve:
35 % Annacone – 38 of 106
26 % McEnroe – 28 of 104
In his previous nine US Open appearances, McEnroe [9] always reached at least the fourth round (triumphed four times), so from this perspective his first round departure it was a shocker, but in 1986 he came back after a 7-month break and it was just his third main-level event since the return. Such a match on day 1 of the event almost couldn’t have happened: Annacone [20] was a sensation of 1985, a Top 10 contender, but the following year he was gradually losing his ranking and quite unexpectedly he wasn’t seeded in New York. Two factors contributed to the bizarre scoreline: Annacone’s phenomenal service performance & McEnroe’s sloppy S&V game-style – the 3rd game of the 3rd set was the most telling when Big Mac lost three consecutive points to be broken, hitting overheads in each point.