One-Hit Wonders of the Open Era: Volume VII - Yannick Noah and Pat Cash
Yannick Noah, 1983 French Open
Half Milli Vanilli, half Gary Busey, Frenchman Yannick Noah was a personality on and off the court throughout his lengthy career.
He was 23 in 1983 when he took center stage at the French Open, becoming the first native to win the crown in 37 years, and playing about as well as any player ever has.
Noah was the sixth seed in a field loaded with al-time legends Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander.
Noah needed two tie-break wins to escape the third round and entered the quarterfinals along with the five seeds in front of him.
He stunned Ivan Lendl, the third seed, in the semifinals, 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0, his only set loss of the entire tournament.
He faced off against countryman Christophe Roger-Vasselin in the semifinals, the latter coming off an absolutely shocking victory over No. 1 seeded Jimmy Connors in the quarterfinals.
Noah paid little attention to the Cinderella story with a dominating 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 victory to reach the final against Wilander, who had taken out McEnroe in the quarterfinals.
Despite his best efforts, Wilander couldn't stop the Frenchman's roll and Noah crowned himself with a 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3) victory.
Pat Cash, 1987 Wimbledon
The eye of a nation, perhaps even the world was firmly fixed on Pat Cash at an early age - he was the No. 1 junior player in the world at age 16 and won the junior crowns at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1982 at age 17.
He won his first ATP-level title that same year and continued to burn brightly - becoming the youngest player to play in a Davis Cup final in 1983 and reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1984.
In short, greatness seemed like a lock for the native of Melbourne, Australia, who added a finals appearance at his homeland's major to start the 1987 season.
Cash entered the season's Wimbledon tournament as the 11th seed, a distant blip on the radar behind two-time defending champion Boris Becker and current No. 1 Ivan Lendl, who already five Grand Slam titles to his name, including that year's French Open crown.
Cash lost only one set in the first three rounds, and became his section's top seed when sixth-seeded Yannick Noah was stunned by fellow Frenchman Guy Forget in the second round.
Forget was forgotten by Cash in a three-set sweep that sent the Aussie to the quarterfinals against third-seeded Mats Wilander, himself a four-time Grand Slam winner.
Cash looked like the seasoned veteran, ripping Wilander 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals against American Jimmy Connors, who was crushed in similar fashion, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
The victory put Cash into the final against the mighty Lendl, who had defeated Cash in their first four meetings before Cash broke through in the Australian Open semifinals earlier that year.
Again, experience seemed to have little to do with the match on the court. Cash took a pivotal tie-break first-set win and battled past the legend, 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-5 for the title.
Cash celebrated the victory by climbing into the stands to the player's box to greet his parents, coach and girlfriend, starting a long-standing Wimbledon tradition.
He would go on to reach the Australian Open final the following year, but never made it past another Grand Slam quarterfinal, particularly once injuries began to plague his career in the early 1990s.
What's on your mind? Post a comment below.
Posted by Nick on 2/13/2012 10:22:28 PM
Current rating: 0 (0 ratings)
Bookmark this page to:        
Share Your Thoughts: Post a comment below.
|