1 Response to wimbledon02hewitt_schalken

1. Voo de Mar says:

   June 30, 2022 at 2:40 pm

   Points won by each set: | 28-18, 34-26, 49-47, 21-30, 43-34 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   33 % Hewitt – 53 of 156
   19 % Schalken – 34 of 174

   If Hewitt had converted one of four match points in the 3rd set, perhaps he would have won the entire event not dropping a set. That 5-setter against Schalken was exceptional. Watching tennis matches carefully, producing stats, I’ve noticed that saving break points in 3 successive games as they appear it’s a rarity, Schalken saved them in 7 games of this type against Hewitt: between his 1st service game of the 3rd set and his first service game of the final set, Schalken withstood 16 BPs in seven different games, coming back from 0/40 thrice; it’s really incredible taking into account it happened at the time Hewitt was the best player in the world with a very good BP conversion. The Australian had also 4 match points among those 16 break points – they came as he led 6:5* (40/15) & two advantages – Schalken [23] fought them off in quite untypical style for himself – with three service winners and overhead. The Dutchman led with a break 2:1 & 3:2 in the decider, but on both occasions he was broken at ‘love’. He had two mini-match points later on: at 4-all (Hewitt’s tremendous FH passing-shot) & 5-all (Schalken’s FH wide). Trying to save the fifth match point, Schalken sent his flat FH wide again. Remarkably it was his fourth defeat at Wimbledon in a five-set thriller within just five years #

   # Schalken’s four dramatic Wimbledon defeats within five years:
   1998, 1st rd: JM.Gambill 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-8… 3 hours 45 minutes… Schalken led 4:2* in 5th
   1999, 3rd rd: J.Courier 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 11-13… 4 hours 25 minutes… Schalken had MP at 5:4 in 4th & 6:5 in 5th!
   2000, 3rd rd: M.Philippoussis 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7, 18-20… 5 hours 1 minute… Schalken led 14:13* (30/0) in 5th
   2002, q-final: L.Hewitt 2-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1, 5-7… 3 hours 51 minutes… Schalken had mini-MP at 4-all & 5-all

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