2 Responses to philadelphia1989mayotte_agassi

1. Voo de Mar says:

   March 11, 2024 at 5:01 pm

   Stats without six games of the 1st set; number of aces, double faults and break points are valid for the entire contest

   Points won by each set: | X, 31-31, 39-30 |

   A clash of two generations in the US tennis: 29-year-old Mayotte [12], typical player of the 80s, a serve-and-volleyer (in a combination that volley is more important than serve as opposed to the 90s), with one-handed backhand, flat shots, who was often attacking the net with a slice… and 10 years younger Agassi [4], showcasing what was quite characteristic in the 90s, so double-handed backhand & playing ground-strokes with more spin. On paper it was a very intriguing encounter; admittedly Agassi had won their two previous matches and was playing just his second event of the year after a stellar ’88 season (six titles, two Slam semifinals), many pundits expected that he would become the first teenager to reach the No. 1 in tennis, however, Mayotte was playing his best tennis in Philadelphia, # he was unbeaten there in 18 consecutive matches (gave a walkover in the ’86 final, then triumphed in the years 1987-88), having defeated several top players (Connors, Noah, J.McEnroe, Gilbert).
   There were five breaks of serve in the opener, in the 2nd set Agassi broke at 5:4 despite Mayotte leading 40/0, and in the decider Mayotte’s break at 2-all proved to be crucial. “I thought I volleyed really well today,” said Mayotte, who won 65 points on 96 approaches to the net, compared to 10 points on 17 approaches for Agassi. “I was covering the court and the net really effectively. I think a lot of it was set up with some pretty good serving.” Agassi explained that his inability to create chances for breaking in the last two sets, was a consequence of Mayotte’s very high percentage of 1st serve in: “The thing that saved him was his serve. If he had come down 5% or 10% on his first serve, it would have been a different story.”

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   March 11, 2024 at 5:12 pm

   # Mayotte’s winning streak in Philadelphia was snapped in the ’89 final by Becker.
   The West German won easier than anyone could have expected (7-6, 6-1, 6-3) because they had played two five-setters against each other before.

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