2 Responses to daviscup85edberg_westphal

1. Voo de Mar says:

   February 7, 2025 at 12:37 pm

   Points won by each set: | 17-28, 37-34, 36-31, 31-22 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   42 % Edberg – 47 of 110
   43 % Westphal – 55 of 126

   The first deciding fifth rubber in the Davis Cup finals of the Open Era (the previous one had occurred in 1961, so a few years before Edberg and Westhpal were born). It was their second meeting, Edberg barely survived the first one (4-6, 7-6, 6-3), therefore the underdog entered the match without a complex with big support of the partisan crowd of 13,000. Westphal was playing very aggressive tennis (8 aces in the opener) and everything was working his way until 3:2 (15-all) for Edberg [5] in the 2nd set – Westphal [51] made a simple volley error then which meant that he lost two points on serve in a game for the first time – he was broken and lost his tremendous confidence. Actually the end of three sets won by Edberg had the same pattern – Westphal was broken despite leading 30/0: it happened at 5:6, 4:5 and 3:4 respectively. In the 3rd set he’d wasted a break point leading 2:0, after the match he stated it was a vital moment of that encounter. “I was a bit nervous when I went out there,” Edberg said. “I was not playing well, but I was battling… and it paid off.” In the last set Edberg bounced back from 0/40 and 0/30 before holding the last two games at ‘love’. Westphal was 20, Edberg 19, it wouldn’t be until 2002 when two so young players (both 20 years old) decide the final outcome of a Davis Cup edition… Westphal didn’t play a match of similar magnitude in the future, he was diagnosed with HIV in 1988 (allegedly transmitted through sexual intercourse), stopped playing professional tennis in 1989 and died due to AIDS complications in June of 1991.

   SWEDEN d. WEST GERMANY 3-2 in Olympia Halle, Munich, West Germany: Carpet (Indoor)
   Mats Wilander (SWE) d. Michael Westphal (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 10-8
   Boris Becker (GER) d. Stefan Edberg (SWE) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 8-6
   Joakim Nystrom / Mats Wilander (SWE) d. Boris Becker / Andreas Maurer (GER) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
   Boris Becker (GER) d. Mats Wilander (SWE) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
   Stefan Edberg (SWE) d. Michael Westphal (GER) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3

   

   From left: Joakim Nyström, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Anders Järryd & Hans Olsson (captain)

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   February 7, 2025 at 12:39 pm

   Swedish route to the title: Chile 4-1, India 4-1, Australia 5-0, West Germany 3-2

   Points for the team:
   4 – Anders Jarryd, Mats Wilander
   3 – Stefan Edberg
   2 – Henrik Sundstrom
   1 – Jan Gunnarsson
   0.5 – Joakim Nystrom

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