rg83wilander_higueras

By | Published September 18, 2026 | Full size is 679 × 515 pixels

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1 Response to rg83wilander_higueras

  1. Voo de Mar says:
    September 18, 2026 at 11:29 am
    Points won by each set: | 47-45, 48-48, 28-21, 25-10 |
    Unreturned serves:
    14 % Wilander – 17 of 118
    3 % Higueras – 6 of 154

    Each of the first two sets lasted almost as long as the first semifinal in which Noah destroyed (only 88 minutes) one of the most unexpected semifinalists in the French Open history. Higueras [7] just like Clerc, played back-to-back French Open semifinals (their only major semifinals), and just like Clerc, he lost his second attempt to reach the final, being defeated by a teenage Wilander [5] after a similarly long 4-setter (Clerc 3:42h, Higueras 3:44h). The opener was crazy – eight breaks in a row from 1:0 onwards. In the 12th game Higueras led 40/0 but lost that game after 10 deuces (20 minutes). In the 2nd set again twelve games, but that time only two breaks of serve. Wilander squandered seven (!) mini-set points at 4:3 and a set point at 6:5 before losing the tie-break 4/7. The young Swede seemed a bit upset after losing such a long set – the 11 years older Higueras began the 3rd set holding easily at ‘love’, but in the quarterfinal he’d survived a four-and-a-half-hours contest against Vilas avenging his loss in the semifinal a year before. Facing Vilas and Wilander in back-to-back matches of the ‘best of five’ format it was the toughest challenge on clay at the time. Higueras felt it in his bones, and he was unable to continue his strategy (keeping the ball in play with backhand slices as long as the ball is shorter, then attacking it with forehand approach-shots). Uncharacteristic errors crept into his game, rallies shortened & Wilander could accelerate his first serve – in the consequence he rather effortlessly collected 11 out of the last 13 games. After the match he admitted that he’d been thinking about Higueras’ revival, and didn’t feel fully comfortable until he led *4:0 in the 4th set… The longest rally took place at 5-all (30/15) in the 1st set, Wilander won it after 70 strokes when Higueras’ BH dropshot landed in the net.

    Serve & volley: Wilander 1/2, Higueras 1/2

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