Noah d. Vilas, 1986 Tournament of Champions final, 7-6 (3), 6-0
Noah was 25, Vilas 33.
Vilas' serve here looks different than in the 1982 RG final. There he was still leaning forward into it; here it's almost a vertical jump up to the ball.
Arthur Ashe and Barry McKay called the match for ABC.
Ashe (who discovered Noah in Camaroon) said that Vilas led the rivalry 8-1 and that he had not been in a final in 3 years.
According to the current ATP stats, this was their last meeting, and it left Vilas up by 9-2. Their only Slam meetings occurred at Roland Garros, with Vilas winning in 1978, 1981 and 1982.
Ashe put Noah’s serve above Becker’s and behind McEnroe’s. There is no service motion I enjoy watching more than Noah’s.
Ashe said:
The following are my own stats. Note: one point won by Noah on his serve is missing.
I have Noah at 9 aces, Vilas at 1, in sync with ABC’s running count.
(Vilas made the only double of the match).
Noah hit 21 winners: 1 FH, 1 BH, 11 FHV, 6 BHV, and 2 overheads.
Vilas hit 19 winners: 6 FH, 8 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, and 2 overheads.
Noah made no return winners, and had 1 pass off each wing.
Vilas made 2 return winners off each wing. All were passes. On top of those he had 8 passes – five from the backhand.
Neither man had a lob winner.
Stats by ABC (statistician was John Gibbs):
In the first set, Noah served at 64%, Vilas at 82%. Noah had 5 aces, Vilas 1. Neither had double-faults. Noah had 15 winners, Vilas 17. Noah had 9 unforced errors, Vilas 6.
So it looks like ABC was not counting service in the winner totals. And they gave Noah 1 less winner, and Vilas 3 more, than I did.
I proofed my work so I can't explain the discrepancy.
Noah was 25, Vilas 33.
Vilas' serve here looks different than in the 1982 RG final. There he was still leaning forward into it; here it's almost a vertical jump up to the ball.
Arthur Ashe and Barry McKay called the match for ABC.
Ashe (who discovered Noah in Camaroon) said that Vilas led the rivalry 8-1 and that he had not been in a final in 3 years.
According to the current ATP stats, this was their last meeting, and it left Vilas up by 9-2. Their only Slam meetings occurred at Roland Garros, with Vilas winning in 1978, 1981 and 1982.
Ashe put Noah’s serve above Becker’s and behind McEnroe’s. There is no service motion I enjoy watching more than Noah’s.
Ashe said:
Can you imagine a tournament full of players who play like Yannick Noah and Ivan Lendl? That’s what I think the players of the 1990s will be like: 6 foot 2, three four, 180, all playing like Noah and Lendl, and Becker.
The following are my own stats. Note: one point won by Noah on his serve is missing.
I have Noah at 9 aces, Vilas at 1, in sync with ABC’s running count.
(Vilas made the only double of the match).
Noah hit 21 winners: 1 FH, 1 BH, 11 FHV, 6 BHV, and 2 overheads.
Vilas hit 19 winners: 6 FH, 8 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, and 2 overheads.
Noah made no return winners, and had 1 pass off each wing.
Vilas made 2 return winners off each wing. All were passes. On top of those he had 8 passes – five from the backhand.
Neither man had a lob winner.
Stats by ABC (statistician was John Gibbs):
In the first set, Noah served at 64%, Vilas at 82%. Noah had 5 aces, Vilas 1. Neither had double-faults. Noah had 15 winners, Vilas 17. Noah had 9 unforced errors, Vilas 6.
So it looks like ABC was not counting service in the winner totals. And they gave Noah 1 less winner, and Vilas 3 more, than I did.
I proofed my work so I can't explain the discrepancy.