1 Response to montreal97kuerten_chang

1. Voo de Mar says:

   June 18, 2024 at 4:44 pm

   Points won by each set: | 31-24, 27-12 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   43 % Kuerten – 21 of 48
   26 % Chang – 12 of 46

   In the aftermath of a shocking triumph on clay at Roland Garros ’97, tennis fans were super curious how Kuerten [13] would perform on other surfaces. He disappointed on grass, but in his first event on hardcourts of Summer ’97, he showed great skills advancing to the final where he was rather unexpectedly defeated by Woodruff. Kuerten’s night session match against Chang [2] was suspended by rain at 2-all in the opener just for 20 minutes. After the resumption, the Brazilian was playing perfect tennis, and managed to win 10 out of the last 11 games. A few days later Kuerten defeated Agassi with the same scoreline as well as with the same total points! He had defeated the extravagant American earlier that year 6-2, 6-4 in Memphis which was Kuerten’s best victory at the time. Admittedly Agassi was in a big crisis in 1997, but those two wins over the top American players on hardcourts in successive big events, clearly showcased Kuerten’s prowess on faster surfaces, and 3.5 years later he became the best player in the world with significant titles on hardcourts under his belt.

   Serve & volley: both 0

   # Comparison of Kuerten’s two ‘6-3, 6-1’ matches within four days:
   Montreal (SF): Kuerten d. Chang 6-3, 6-1… 57 minutes… Total points: 58-36 (aces: 4-4)
   Cincinnati (1R): Kuerten d. Agassi 6-3, 6-1… 46 minutes… Total points: 58-36 (aces: 11-5)
   

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