US Open classics – Mats Wilander vs Ivan Lendl: 1988 final

Mats Wilander (File Photo)

The year of 1988 was a spectacular one for Swedish tennis, especially for the male players. Coming into the US Open, the first three Grand Slams of the year were all won by the Swedish players – Australian Open and French Open by Mats Wilander, and Wimbledon by Stefan Edberg. Expectations were high from Edberg and Wilander to win the US Open and complete the Swedish Grand Slam for the year.

However, there was one big obstacle to achieving the Swedish dream in the form of World No. 1, Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia. Lendl was coming into the tournament having won it each time in the past three editions, and was the odds-on favourite to capture his fourth successive US Open crown.

The US Open trophy had eluded the Swedes, most famously Bjorn Borg, for whom it was his Achilles heel, as he was the losing finalist in the event four times. And there was an added incentive to Wilander, who was seeded 2nd in the draw to win the event, as a tournament win would also help him dislodge Lendl as World No. 1.

While Edberg crashed out in the fourth round, Wilander kept the Swedish dream alive by reaching the final, where he had to meet the top seed Lendl. The final was the rematch of the 1987 US Open final, where Wilander put up a brave fight but ultimately Lendl managed to win 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 4 hours and 47 minutes.

Matches between Lendl and Wilander often lasted for many hours, and were endurance contests as both players played from the baseline. At 4 hours and 54 minutes (7 minutes longer than the 1987 final), the 1988 final would ultimately be the longest US Open final in the history of the tournament (matched by the 2012 final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic). It was an epic battle in which both contestants were highly motivated and determined to win the match.

From the very beginning of the match, Wilander was aware of the task he had at hand. He knew that he couldn’t afford any rash shots or gift his opponents any free points, and hence control and consistency were essential. Wilander was up to the task and he managed to out-last Lendl in a five-set tug-of-war, winning the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 and achieved his dream.

The going wasn’t easy as both players played rallies which lasted 30-40 shots before either player mis-hit a shot and lost the point. The first set was on serve till 4-5 with Lendl serving. Realizing the importance of the game, Lendl upped the level of his play and served 3 aces to go up 40-15 in the game. But Wilander fought back to bring the game to deuce. At the second deuce, Lendl hit a backhand into the net, which gave Wilander the set point. The Swede responded by rushing to the net in the next point, which forced Lendl to hit his backhand long, and thus handing the first set to Wilander 6-4 after 61 minutes of play.

Lendl’s backhand continued to misfire in the second set, as Wilander raced to a 4-1 lead. It seemed that the Swede was in total control of the game and would cruise to victory. However, in the seventh game of the set at 30-30, Wilander was warned by the chair umpire for taking too long to serve. This incident led to Wilander losing his concentration, and his game fell apart. Lendl fought back to win the set 6-4, with Wilander managing to win just 4 points after the incident with the chair umpire.