1 Response to ao01clement_grosjean

1. Voo de Mar says:

   February 24, 2024 at 5:46 pm

   Points won by each set: | 38-44, 16-27, 44-46, 42-37, 33-22 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   22 % Clement – 43 of 195
   25 % Grosjean – 39 of 154

   One of the most impressive Grand Slam comebacks from a two-sets-to-love deficit, especially as far as the second week of majors is concerned. In retrospect, I can say ‘the most important match’ in careers of both short 23-year-old French friends (both ~173 cm), who played together in doubles that year in Melbourne reaching the third round. Their indoor semifinal meeting, turned into the longest match of the tournament (4 hours 8 minutes… so short were the Grand Slam matches in the late 90s/early 00s!). Clement [18] led 5:4* (30-all) in the 1st set when Grosjean [19] played a successful overhead behind his serve to win 11 out of the next 13 games. Clement was playing poorly, took a medical time-out to his left thigh in the meantime, but saved a break point at 0:2 in the 3rd set, and improved significantly his tennis then. Nevertheless the five months younger Grosjean should have won in straights because he led 4:2* (40/0) in the 3rd set, and had match points on two separate occasions: trailing 3:5 Clement fought off the first match point with a forehand winner & the second one at 4:5 with a BH volley winner. In the 4th set Grosjean moved close to reach the final again, at 5:4 (30/15), but his forehand return that passed Clement, landed a few centimeters beside the side-line. Grosjean was dictating the pace through four sets with much faster first serves & quicker forehands, running around the backhand often; that more energetic style took its toll though – Grosjean was deflated in the decider, yet the last & longest game of the contest (11 minutes, 6 deuces) delivered some drama – Clement fired three aces, saved three break points, and finally converted his fifth match point as Grosjean netted a ground-stroke… 89th main-level event in Clement’s career (15th major), 80th Grosjean’s (13th). Grosjean will play another three Grand Slam semifinals, Clement none.

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