2 Responses to paris00safin_philippoussis

1. Voo de Mar says:

   November 6, 2020 at 3:26 am

   Points won by each set: | 21-31, 40-40, 32-25, 20-30, 40-39 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   34 % Safin – 54 of 157
   46 % Philippoussis – 75 of 161

   First time Paris-Bercy held on blue courts (previously it was pink)…. Safin [2] injured his right eyebrow with the frame of his racquet at 3-all (30-all) in the 3rd set on Philippoussis’ serve. After the medical time-out (lasted 9 minutes) he broke Philippoussis [14] the only time in the entire final! Safin, despite winning long tie-breaks (9/7 & 10/8), didn’t save any set/match points – he led 5:1, 6:4 in the 1st & 6:3 in the 2nd tie-break. “When you see the blood you get scared,” Safin said after the 3-hour 29-minute thriller which guaranteed him becoming the best player in the world. “But after two sets you don’t want to give it away. It was very close, but if it had kept bleeding I would have had to stop the match.” The Australian said: “I had three break points at four-all in the 2nd set, but I did nothing wrong. He hit two unbelievable shots, then hit a lob. I did nothing wrong on those points. I’ve just got to come away positive with this week and learn from that match. Marat’s played well all year and this is why he is number one in the world at the moment.”
   Trend-setters in the biggest indoor final of the regular season? 24-year-old Philippoussis and 20-year-old Safin, both ~1.95m tall; the former had based his game-style on serve, forehand & volley, the latter on serve, forehand & backhand, they didn’t like longer rallies on faster surfaces. At the time it seemed their final would be an indicator what to expect in the first decade of the new Century, but soon the surfaces were slowed down, the racquets modified, and the game changed its direction towards longer rallies, patience & tenacity. Players in the height range 180-190 cm dominated the first two decades of the 21st Century similarly to the last decade of the previous Century.

   Safin’s route to his 8th title:
   2 George Bastl 7-5, 6-4
   3 Sebastien Grosjean 6-2, 7-6(4)
   Q Alex Corretja 7-6(5), 6-3
   S Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-2
   W Mark Philippoussis 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8)

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   March 8, 2024 at 6:30 pm

   Safin, despite his abysmal record in the deciding 3rd set tie-breaks (33%), for many years remained a co-record holder (along with Krickstein)
   as far as deciding 5th set tie-breaks are concerned. Below his four wins:

   US Open ’00 (3R): Grosjean 6-4, 7-6, 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(5)
   Paris ’00 (F): Philippoussis 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8)
   US Open ’02 (1R): Kiefer 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)
   US Open ’06 (2R): Nalbandian 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 7-6(6)

   Safin finished his career with a 4-2 record, Krickstein 4-1.
   Nadal overcame them at Wimbledon ’22 winning 5th set tie-break for the fifth time, the new record occurred in a super tie-break though.

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