2 Responses to ao89mecir_gunnarsson

1. Voo de Mar says:

   March 9, 2025 at 12:32 am

   Points won by each set: | 46-41, 30-19, 28-16 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   17 % Mecir – 16 of 91
   21 % Gunnarsson – 19 of 89

   Almost a copy of [13] Mecir’s quarterfinal two days before: he faces a big server, begins in a lethargic mood, trails *0:3 with two points away from a double break down, and after winning the opener, he absolutely dominates his opponent in another two sets. The most important moment of that semifinal played in extreme heat, came as Gunnarsson led 5:2* (30-all) – he stroke a good forehand down the line, but missed not by much – the closest point for him to produce a lone ground-stroke winner then. Afterwards the Czechoslovak overwhelmed the Swede during baseline exchanges turning him into a “junior”, manufacturing winners even after shots hit out of balance a couple of times… Gunnarsson’s advancement to the semifinals was totally unexpected. Admittedly he had a status of a solid ~Top 50 player in the second half of the 80s, but his permanent knee injury aggravated in 1988, he dropped outside the Top 100 and considered retirement (he came back to the hundred with a Stockholm quarterfinal at the year’s end, securing his main-draw position in Melbourne). En route to the AO semi-final he ousted two seeded players (Leconte, Svensson). It was the second time in Gunnarsson’s career he reached the semifinals of a 128-draw event – previously it had happened during the first edition of the tournament known for many years as Key Biscayne – with ranking no. 51 he took advantage of an extremely favourable draw at Delray Beach ’85 defeating in succession three qualifiers who were ranked outside 200!

   First serve percentage: Mecir 72%, Gunnarsson 39%
   Serve & volley: Mecir 0, Gunnarsson 5/12

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   March 9, 2025 at 1:10 am

   Gunnarsson initiated a decade long semi-tradition at Flinders Park (AO held there since 1988)
   that low ranked players would advance to their lone major semifinals – it happened only once at three other majors at the same period (Dewulf at FO ’97):

   1989 – Gunnarsson [85]
   1991 – P.McEnroe [114]
   1998 – Escude [81]
   1999 – Lapentti [91]
   

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