1 Response to uo82_connors_lendl

1. Voo de Mar says:

   July 22, 2020 at 11:25 am

   Points won by each set: | 33-24, 33-21, 40-42, 29-25 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   17 % Connors – 21 of 118
   25 % Lendl – 32 of 129

   When they’d met three weeks before, in the Cincinnati semifinal, Lendl stunned Connors 6-1, 6-1! In the 3rd set of the US Open ’82 final, Connors [3] led 3:1* (30/0), then squandered two mini-match points at 4-all. The first two sets weren’t as easy for him as the score would suggest – he lost the opening game of the match on serve, at 5:3 he was 0/30; in the 2nd set Lendl [2] had two game points trailing 2:4, in the following game he led 40/15 on Connors’ serve. “I did what I wanted to do,” Connors said. “I got back to where I wanted to be as far as winning Wimbledon, and that was my goal. To come here and continue to work hard after Wimbledon and win the tournament at 30 years old is pretty good.”

   Connors’ route to his 96th title:
   1 Jeff Borowiak 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3
   2 Hank Pfister 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
   3 Jimmy Arias 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
   4 Ilie Nastase 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
   Q Rodney Harmon 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
   S Guillermo Vilas 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
   W Ivan Lendl 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

   # Comparison of their two US Open finals in succession:
   1982: Connors d. Lendl 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4… 3 hours 9 minutes… 37 games… Total points: 135-112 (247)
   1983: Connors d. Lendl 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0… 3 hours 3 minutes… 40 games… Total points: 144-126 (270)

   ☆ Connors: 1st % in – 76/118 (64%) and 88/118 (74%); points at the net – 41/66 (62%) and 21/38 (55%)
   Lendl: 1st % in – 70/129 (54%) and 72/152 (47%); points at the net – 8/17 (47%) and 10/18 (55%)
   

   Log in to Reply