2 Responses to uo91lendl_stich

1. Voo de Mar says:

   November 17, 2023 at 5:51 pm

   Points won by each set: | 33-28, 23-31, 26-31, 35-34, 27-15 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   26 % Lendl – 41 of 154
   40 % Stich – 52 of 129

   The night session at Stadium Court saw a clash between two players from different tennis generations, showcasing contrasting playing styles. Lendl [3] had previously dominated Stich [4] in their four prior encounters, i.a. securing a three-hour (6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3) victory on the same court a year earlier. He started strong by breaking Stich’s serve at 2:1, yet from that point onward, Stich’s serve became formidable for three and a half sets. The German managed to hold his serve 18 consecutive times without facing a ‘deuce’. Even rain breaks failed to disrupt his rhythm; the first occurred at the end of the 2nd set (lasting 90 minutes), and the second arrived as he led *4:3 (40/15) in the 3rd set. The second rainfall was so intense that the match had to be postponed until the following day. Upon resuming play under the Sun, Stich opted for a change of footwear, swapping his unconventional back shoes for the standard white ones. During the tie-break, Stich took an early lead, seemingly heading toward an inevitable victory. However, a small disaster struck as he lost three points in a row on serve, leading to Lendl gaining a triple set point having won six consecutive points. Although Stich saved the first two set points, he succumbed to a tentative backhand on the third, resulting in the set going to Lendl. In the deciding set, Stich’s game faltered, and he was broken three times, at 1:5 after fending off four match points.

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   November 17, 2023 at 5:58 pm

   It was an amazing tournament for the 31-year-old Lendl – en route to the semifinal he defeated the arguably three best servers in the early 90s, much younger players, each of them after 3.5 hour matches producing remarkable comebacks. Especially the first round brought a miraculous escape because Lendl faced a double match point on return in the 4th set against 19-year-old Krajicek. The Dutchman began to struggle with cramps at the end of the 4th set though, on match points he missed his first serves, and attacking the net behind his second serves he made a volley error, and was passed by Lendl’s backhand blocked return. There was 5-all in the tie-break when Krajicek committed a double fault (the same as he led 4:2 in it).

   # Comparison of Lendl’s tough victories at US Open ’91:
   first round: Lendl d. [32] Krajicek 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0… 3 hours 37 minutes… Total points: 160-160 (aces: 6-20)… 5:6* (15/40) in 4th set
   fourth round: Lendl d. [16] Ivanisevic 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2… 3 hours 30 minutes… Total points: 145-130 (aces: 6-21)… *1:4 in 3rd set
   quarterfinal: Lendl d. [4] Stich 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1… 3 hours 28 minutes… Total points: 144-139 (aces: 6-11)… *0:3 in 4th set tie-break

   …against Stich, Lendl’s sixth and last five-setter won in which he saved a 4th set tie-break; before the US Open ’91 he’d done it against:
   Gomez (RG ’81), Clerc (RG ’81), Mayotte (UO ’82) and Edberg (AO ’91)
   …more matches of this kind (7) won only Nicolas Lapentti

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