Stats for Sampras-Corretja (1996 USO QF)

[krosero]

Sampras d. Corretja 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)

Below are my stats.

This match has never been charted here or at Tennis Abstract, possibly because the video on YouTube is missing a lot of points. Two Sampras service games at the start of the third set are missing; and the USA network often came from commercial breaks late, causing them to miss points served by both men in the first four sets.

USA did provide mid-match counts of service percentages, aces and double-faults, which – in tandem with figures in a newspaper boxscore – allowed me to fill in many points, leaving all the stats below complete except for the unreturned serves.

Sampras won 187 points, Corretja 188.

Sampras won 134 of 189 service points (70.9%): 97/119 on first serve (82%) and 37/70 on second serve (53%).

Corretja won 133 of 186 service points (71.5%): 96/119 on first (81%) and 37/67 on second (55%).

Sampras won 23 straight service points, including 22 to end the first set. On first serve, he won 22 straight including all 16 in the fourth set; and he had a run of 18 straight on first serve earlier.

Corretja won 23 straight on first serve including his last 17 of the second set; and he had another run of 15, all in the fifth set.

Sampras made 119 of 189 first serves (63.0%). By set:

23/34 - 67.6%
26/51 - 51.0%
30/38 - 78.9%
16/24 - 66.7%
24/42 - 57.1%

Corretja made 119 of 186 first serves (64.0%). By set:

35/50 - 70.0%
18/35 - 51.4%
20/31- 64.5%
19/31 - 61.3%
27/39 - 69.2%

In the tiebreaks, Sampras made 9 of 14 first serves (64%), Corretja 11 of 14 (79%).

Sampras made his first serve on 6 of 11 break points (55%). On break points, he won 5/6 on first (83%) and 3/5 on second (60%), and 5 of his 11 serves were unreturned (45%).

Corretja made his first serve on 4 of 6 break points (67%). On break points, he won 3/4 on first (75%) and 1/2 on second (50%), with 1 unreturned serve.


Sampras converted 2 of 6 break points (50%), Corretja 3 of 11 (27%)

There were no breaks, or even break points, in the fifth set.

Sampras faced no break points in the last two sets, closing the match with 11 straight holds. Corretja was unbroken in sets 2 and 3, with a run of 14 straight holds; he faced no break points in sets 3 and 5.

Sampras had 25 aces and 5 DFs.

Corretja had 24 aces and 3 DFs. (The press had him at 25 but one of these was nicked by Pete's racquet.)

_______________________________________________________

All of the above stats are complete. Unreturned serves, as usual, were not reported anywhere, so if the point is missing on the video, nothing can be done, except to give a range.

Sampras could have as many as 8 more unreturned serves apart from those I counted – but none of these were aces. Corretja might have 2 more -- again, not aces.


Sampras served on 189 points, and 76-84 serves did not come back: 40.2% - 44.4%

Corretja served on 186 points, and 52-54 serves did not come back: 28.0% - 29.0%

In the points that are fully accounted for, Sampras’ unreturned serves were 76/181 or 42.0%, and Corretja’s were 52/184 or 28.3%.

This is complete: in the fifth set, Sampras' unreturned serves were 15/42 or 35.7%, Corretja's 11/39 or 28.2%.

 

[krosero]

And the newspaper boxscore

 

[Waspsting]

Its good to see you stat-ting stuff

I like these matches with near identical basic stats - 1st serve percentage, 1st serve won and 2nd serve won... and this match has it

How would you describe the action?

Looking at winners and UEs, it looks to me like Corretja played above himself, but Sampras? Just outplayed by a better baseliner, or did he play badly himself?

 

[krosero]

Its good to see you stat-ting stuff

I like these matches with near identical basic stats - 1st serve percentage, 1st serve won and 2nd serve won... and this match has it

How would you describe the action?

Looking at winners and UEs, it looks to me like Corretja played above himself, but Sampras? Just outplayed by a better baseliner, or did he play badly himself?

I rewatched the fifth set of Connors-Krickstein recently and that match is similar, though Sampras is a more complete player than Connors, and Corretja more complete than Krickstein.

Corretja surprised everyone here. In the booth John McEnroe kept saying what a shock it was to see him serving so big, and still at a high percentage; and how he was standing in closer to the baseline than he had seen him do in the past; also how beautiful and effective his one-handed backhand was.

Sampras was decidedly off. He mistimed the start of the match and didn't have a full meal beforehand, and near the end of the match he vomited oncourt, but rewatching this I'm surprised at how off he seems right from the start. He made a lot of errors from the baseline and while some could be expected, when any aggressive player presses against such a wall as Corretja, some really looked like poor, tired errors. JMac said he just couldn't get that running forehand working, and that's the single greatest strength of his baseline game (one of the big weapons of his whole game really).

He missed an absolute gimme overhead too, in the last game of one of the early sets, I think.

Pete's serve was intact, though, maybe not at 100%, but it got him through the match. The rest of his game looks plainly affected by his fatigue; but his service motion is just as beautiful and reliable as ever. It's one thing when he's bringing the heat and he's at full strength, but when he's exhausted and even sick, watching him nevertheless launch into that delivery perfectly is something else.

 

[krosero]

Per another press report, Corretja had served only 19 aces in his previous 16 sets here.

This was Sampras’ seventh straight win in five-setters (going back to a loss to Schaller at the ’95 French), the longest such streak of his career (he lost his next five-setter, to Becker in Stuttgart).

Sampras was 21-7 in five-setters after the match (18-3 in majors), Corretja 3-5.


Six years later Corretja beat Sampras in a five-setter in Davis Cup, on grass, which I haven't seen, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4. That was the third and last defeat of Sampras’ career from two sets up (following Yzaga ’88 USO and Cherkasov ’92 Olympics).

Sampras had 28 aces and 16 DFs, Corretja 12 aces and 18 DFs.

It was the last meeting in their H2H, which Sampras leads 4-2. Unexpectedly, Sampras took their only two claycourt meetings (Rome in ’93-’94) and Corretja their only grasscourt meeting. Sampras leads 2-1 on hard.

 

[Waspsting]

Corretja surprised everyone here. In the booth John McEnroe kept saying what a shock it was to see him serving so big, and still at a high percentage; and how he was standing in closer to the baseline than he had seen him do in the past; also how beautiful and effective his one-handed backhand was.

Sampras was decidedly off. He mistimed the start of the match and didn't have a full meal beforehand, and near the end of the match he vomited oncourt, but rewatching this I'm surprised at how off he seems right from the start. He made a lot of errors from the baseline and while some could be expected, when any aggressive player presses against such a wall as Corretja, some really looked like poor, tired errors. JMac said he just couldn't get that running forehand working, and that's the single greatest strength of his baseline game (one of the big weapons of his whole game really).

that's about what I would have guessed

If the match was as great as its generally thought to be, it would feature high quality play (not that all matches that are considered great have particularly high levels of play). But if Sampras plays well by his standard, it probably wouldn't be too competitive... so Corretja playing above himself and Sampras well, but down sounds about right

From what I've watched recently, Sampras playing fairly poorly from the baseline isn't all that uncommon. Lot of matches with him spraying errors all over the place.... errors in short rallies, routine balls as well as ill-judged attacking shots and often missing by a long way

I think its just that we tend to forget that stuff when he ends up winning comfortably, which he does on back of serve-volleying and the odd good return game (or bad service game from his opponent)

Six years later Corretja beat Sampras in a five-setter in Davis Cup, on grass, which I haven't seen, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4.

I haven't seen this one either but remember the aftermath well

A reporter asked Sampras in light of losing on grass to a clay courter did he think he should retire?

Sampras replied, "Are you trying to be funny?"