1 Response to wb00sampras_rafter

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 11, 2025 at 1:00 am

   Points won by each set: | 52-51, 40-38, 38-29, 31-20 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   48 % Sampras – 64 of 132
   38 % Rafter – 64 of 167

   At the end of the opener Rafter needed 11 deuces in his two service games to stay in touch with Sampras (the Aussie saved four break points at 4-all). Rafter withstood two set points in the tie-break (5:6 & 7:8). In the second tie-break, the Australian led *4:1… Sampras broke for the first time (on his 10th break point in the final) at 2-all in the 3rd set – Rafter had three game points in that game initially trailing 0/40. There was 8:35 p.m. when Rafter held to lead 2:1 in the 4th set, and no-one could expect that tight encounter would be finished on Sunday, however, the Australian just like two years before against Henman, lost five straight games – Sampras converted his first match point with a service winner in near darkness to win his record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title (Roy Emerson captured 12 majors in the pre-Open Era). The match lasted 2 hours 58 minutes.

   Sampras’ route to his 63rd title:
   1 Jiri Vanek 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
   2 Karol Kucera 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
   3 Justin Gimelstob 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
   4 Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
   Q Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4
   S Vladimir Voltchkov 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4
   W Patrick Rafter 6-7(10), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2

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