1 Response to stockholm00johansson_kafelnikov

1. Voo de Mar says:

   November 15, 2025 at 6:12 pm

   Points won by each set: | 25-13, 33-26, 31-25 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   34 % Johansson – 26 of 76
   19 % Kafelnikov – 15 of 77

   Johansson vs Kafelnikov, an intriguing rivalry of players born in the 70s in which the lower ranked (Johansson) was regularly defeating the higher ranked (Kafelnikov). The Scania Stockholm Open final, when Kafelnikov was no. 5 while Johansson no. 57, it was a fifth of eight successive Johansson’s wins over Kafelnikov (four in the “best of five” format) – their last match was won by Kafelnikov, who lost their H2H 5-9! They shared a similar attitude to the game (flat ground-strokes off both sides), and Kafelnikov as a much versatile player, probably didn’t feel himself comfortable facing someone with the same basic game-style, yet serving bigger (despite being 10 cm shorter). In the 2nd set at 4-all (deuce), Kafelnikov thought for a moment he’d served an ace to get a game point, but the umpire changed linesman’s decision, the Russian didn’t like the overrule, and committed two straight double faults. In the 3rd set he led 3:0* (30/15) but Johansson managed to win five games in a row.

   Johansson’s route to his 4th title:
   1 Thomas Enqvist 6-2, 6-2
   2 Christian Vinck 6-4, 6-2
   Q Jonas Bjorkman 6-7(6), 7-6(7), 7-5 – 5 m.p.
   S Magnus Norman 7-6(4), 6-2
   W Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

   ☆ Johansson trailed 2:6 in the 2nd set tie-break against Bjorkman

   Serve & volley: Johansson 1/1, Kafelnikov 0/1
   

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