2 Responses to indy97bjorkman_moya

1. Voo de Mar says:

   April 11, 2025 at 1:43 pm

   Stats without the first 9 games of the 2nd set (13 of 22 games included, 59%) – number of aces, DFs, BPs valid for the entire contest

   Points won by each set: | 33-26, 46-42 |
   Points won directly behind the serve (1st set only):
   21 % Bjorkman – 4 of 19
   17 % Moya – 6 of 35

   Bjorkman [23] was pretty amazing in 1997: he wasn’t either a big server or an admirable serve-volleyer, his forehand couldn’t impress anyone, but his attacking game-style was brutally efficient at the time he was in his optimal physical shape. The 25-year-old Swede was winning plenty of matches running all over the court, and triumphing in the capital of the Indiana state, he achieved the highlight of his career as far as singles is concerned. Given a very strong draw (six Top 10ers + “out of shape” Agassi), he enjoyed a beneficial route to the final, but in his last match he faced a raising star Moya [9], the soon-to-be No. 1 to whom had lost their first two meetings, so it was the only match-up that week the Swede wasn’t a favorite. Bjorkman imposed his superiority in the 1st set though, creating break points in four out of Moya’s five service games. After an early exchange of breaks in the 2nd set, they were holding quite comfortably. Bjorkman needed several deuces to hold for a 5:4 lead, and took the ensuing tie-break with ease… The start of the match was delayed 90 minutes by rain, and it was halted for another 30 minutes in the 2nd set by another shower.

   Bjorkman’s route to his 2nd title:
   1 Luke Smith 6-2, 7-6(4)
   2 Lionel Roux 6-3, 6-3
   3 Todd Woodbridge 6-2, 7-5
   Q Tommy Ho 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
   S Mark Woodforde 6-0, 6-2
   W Carlos Moya 6-3, 7-6(3)
   

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   April 11, 2025 at 1:46 pm

   Bjorkman experienced the toughest match that week facing Tommy Ho [329, qualifier], a US prodigy of South Korean origin, who had been mentioning in the late 80s in the same sentences with Michael Chang… Ho had won his first main-level match aged 15 years 2 months (the second youngest player in history to do that, behind Franco Davin), but his career went into a disaster, and that Indianapolis quarterfinal it’s his career best result at age of 24

   Moya was playing the second part of 1997 with short hair because he had to notch an obligatory conscription (Spain got rid of that in 2001)

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