1 Response to rg99meligeni_corretja

1. Voo de Mar says:

   April 20, 2023 at 5:03 pm

   Points won by each set: | 30-21, 29-20, 25-9 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   21 % Meligeni – 14 of 64
   12 % Corretja – 9 of 70

   # “6-2, 6-2, 6-0” is not a scoreline one would expect in a major quarterfinal. Two matches like this are implausible, yet they occurred on consecutive days in Paris at the end of the century. Agassi’s demolition job was predictable, but no one could have imagined that Corretja [6], the 1998 runner-up, would be crushed almost like Filippini, facing a clearly lower-ranked opponent, even though Meligeni [54] was in very good form, having defeated two seeds in the previous rounds (Rafter, Mantilla – both in four sets). It was a windy day (20-30 kph), and the Brazilian adapted much better to the challenging conditions. At the beginning of the second set, when the wind calmed down a bit, Corretja led 2:1* (30/0) and then suffered a shocker – he lost 11 straight games! There was a little consolation for him as trailing *0:4 (0/30) in the last set, and not showing any signs of belief, he won the most entertaining rally of the match (he hit 4 volleys, then outmanoeuvred Meligeni with a subtle cross-court backhand – photo). Afterwards, Corretja explained that he was struggling with an allergy and he felt his body was too heavy.

   Serve & volley: Meligeni 0, Corretja 1/2

   # Comparison of two French Open ’99 quarterfinals with the same scoreline:
   Agassi d. Filippini 6-2, 6-2, 6-0… 1 hour 12 minutes… Total points: 83-44 (winners: 27-9)
   Meligeni d. Corretja 6-2, 6-2, 6-0… 1 hour 25 minutes… Total points: 84-50 (winners: 19-15)

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