1 Response to rome00norman_kuerten

1. Voo de Mar says:

   May 2, 2023 at 2:42 pm

   Points won by each set: | 37-28, 25-35, 38-31, 38-31 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   23 % Norman – 29 of 121
   23 % Kuerten – 33 of 142

   [4] Norman’s biggest title, and really impressive triumph given the quality of six opponents he faced in the Italian capital. He raced to a 5:0* (deuce) lead in the final, but Kuerten [6] didn’t play poorly. In the 2nd set the Brazilian saved a break point at 4-all having won his previous three games at love. The 3rd set began with four breaks of serve, Norman got another break at 3-all. There was only one break in the 4th set, but the end of the set was entertaining. Kuerten won the longest game of the match (six deuces) trailing 3:5 (saved four match points), and had a baseline rally leading 30/0 in the following game. He also had a break point, but made a few errors in the end and the Swede celebrated the success on his knees. “It’s just great to be compared to Borg, Edberg and Wilander because of the last two days and the No. 1 spot,” Norman said referring to the ATP Race ranking in which he became No. 1. “It’s just unbelievable. It’s almost too much for me, but hopefully I can play like this throughout the year and the comparisons will be even more.” # A few weeks later they face each other in the French Open final, that time Kuerten prevails in four sets, and also the end stage of the match is thrilling, open to different outcomes.

   Norman’s route to his 9th title:
   1 Sebastian Grosjean 6-3, 7-6(2)
   2 Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-2
   3 Andrei Medvedev 7-6(4), 6-1
   Q Felix Mantilla 6-4, 6-3
   S Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-0
   W Gustavo Kuerten 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

   Serve & volley: both 0

   # Comparison of their two 4-set clay-court finals of 2000:
   Rome: Norman d. Kuerten 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4… 3 hours 6 minutes… Total points: 138-125… Breaks: 6-4
   Paris: Kuerten d. Norman 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6… 3 hours 46 minutes… Total points: 159-157… Breaks: 7-5

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