1 Response to bw81mcenroe_vilas

1. Voo de Mar says:

   February 24, 2023 at 2:16 am

   Borg, the quadruple defending champion, skipped the event (also the inaugural – Nastase replaced him as a Masters champion)…

   Points won by each set: | 51-54, 35-30, 25-12 |

   It was the sixth and last edition of the most lucrative tournament at the time – Pepsi Grand Slam played on clay in Florida, involving guys who obtained the best results at majors a year before.
   There’s info in archive newspapers that the last final lasted 3 hours 15 minutes. After I watched on YouTube, I’ve thought it must have been ~20 minutes shorter. McEnroe and Vilas faced each other third straight year in this tournament (Mac won all three matches, one of them it was only a longer set). There were break points in 10 out of 12 games in the opening set (six breaks in total), Vilas fought off a set point at *5:6 and led *3:1 in the 2nd set. Afterwards Vilas led 4:3, and McEnroe got nine consecutive games. “When I was down in the second set, he had a chance of maybe going up there, and then I got back in the match,” McEnroe said. “I never felt like I was really out of it. This is an important tournament to win, obviously, because of the prize money involved. Anytime you can beat the top players on clay, it definitely helps you.” It was the last edition of the event, below all scorelines:

   1976 (January)
   Semifinals:
   Nastase d. Connors 0-6, 6-4, 7-5
   Orantes d. Ashe 6-4, 6-4
   3rd place-match:
   Connors d. Ashe 6-4, 7-6(7)
   Final:
   Nastase d. Orantes 6-4, 6-3

   1977 (January)
   Semifinals:
   Borg d. Panatta 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
   Connors d. Orantes 6-7(5), 6-2, 5-5 (40/15) ret. / left thigh cramp /
   3rd place-match:
   Orantes d. Panatta 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2
   Final:
   Borg d. Connors 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

   1978 (February)
   Semifinals:
   Borg d. Gottfried 6-2, 6-4
   Connors d. Gerulaitis 6-2, 6-4
   3rd place-match:
   Gottfried d. Gerulaitis 6-3, 6-3
   Final:
   Borg d. Connors 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1

   1979 (February)
   Semifinals:
   Borg d. Vilas 6-3, 6-3
   Connors d. J.McEnroe 6-3, 6-4
   3rd place-match:
   McEnroe d. Vilas 6-4, 6-2
   Final:
   Borg d. Connors 6-2, 6-3

   1980 (February)
   Semifinals:
   Borg d. Vilas 6-2, 6-3
   Gerulaitis d. J.McEnroe 7-5, 6-3
   3rd place-match:
   McEnroe d. Vilas 8-7(5)
   Final:
   Borg d. Gerulaitis 6-1, 5-7, 6-1

   1981 (February)
   Semifinals:
   J.McEnroe d. Teacher 6-3, 6-1
   Vilas d. Gerulaitis 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
   3rd place-match:
   Teacher d. Gerulaitis w/o
   Final:
   J.McEnroe d. Vilas 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0

   The event is restored in 1990 (Munich) proposing a new format (December, 16 players, knockout stage, indoors) and the prize money is incomparable. Below champions of the years 1990-99:
   Sampras – Wheaton – Stich – Korda – Larsson – Ivanisevic – Becker – Sampras – Rios – Rusedski

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