1 Response to ao76edmondson_newcombe

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 8, 2024 at 4:32 am

   Points won by each set: | 42-42, 34-31, 44-39, 26-14 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   36 % Edmondson – 54 of 148
   43 % Newcombe – 54 of 124

   No. 212 – the 21-year-old (looking 40 with today’s standards), unknown Edmondson became the lowest ranked Grand Slam champion in the Open Era. In the 21st Century it’s something incomprehensible, but in the 70s outsiders were able to advance to the final stages of the Australian Open because many top players – especially from Europe – didn’t make trips Down Under. The last major final between two moustache players was very specific in the 3rd set. Wind gusts in the initial storm were up to 45 miles (72 kph) an hour and the temperature dropped from 104 degrees (40 Celsius) to 79 (26°C) in five minutes. It happened as Newcombe [20] was serving at 2-all. The game was interrupted for four minutes at 15-all; after the resumption Edmondson couldn’t make a good return responding to Newcombe’s three serves, and the referee allowed the players to leave the court for a half hour until the storm had passed. The underdog won all his serving games at 15 in the 3rd set, and withstood a double set point in the tie-break. There was 1-all in the 4th set when Newcombe was unexpectedly broken twice winning just one point. Edmondson converted the last point with a second serve winner becoming the first unseeded Aussie Open champion; full credit to him, despite his super modest 4-7 record before the Open, he eliminated five seeded Australian players, including two former champions. “I’m suffering from shock and exhaustion or something,” said Edmondson. “It is just too good to believe. I think I might have a couple of bottles of bubbly tonight.” He confirmed that victory wasn’t a total fluke advancing to the Wimbledon semi-final six years later.

   Edmondson’s route to his maiden title:
   1 Peter Feigl 6-1, 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1
   2 Phil Dent 6-0, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
   3 Brian Fairlie 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
   Q Dick Crealy 7-5, 7-6, 6-2
   S Ken Rosewall 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
   W John Newcombe 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-1

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