In the final, Krickstein, then world number 16, would pull off another great comeback against Michael Chang, winning Roland Garros champion 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 after losing 6-2, 4-1, living up to his nickname, “marathon man.”
Players: Americans Aaron Krickstein and Brad Gilbert
Aaron Krickstein was born in 1967. In 1983, aged 16, he became the youngest player ever to win a Tour event, defeating Christoph Zipf in the Tel Aviv final (7-6, 6-3), a few weeks before becoming the youngest player ever to finish a year in the top 100.
Nicknamed “Marathon Man” because of his ability to bounce back from desperate situations, his career was plagued by injuries. However, he managed to claim five titles, and in September 1989 he was 16th in the ATP rankings, reaching the 1989 US Open semi-finals for the first time (defeat to Boris Becker: 6-4, 6-3, 6-4).
Brad Gilbert was born in 1961. He turned professional in 1982 and within months he won the first of his 16 titles in Taipei. Unlike many other professional players of his era, Gilbert did not have a primary offensive weapon and his game was largely based on his excellent tactics. Although he rose to world No. 7 in September 1989, after winning four tournaments that year, his best Grand Slam finish was the quarterfinals at the 1987 US Open (losing to Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–0).
Gilbert also won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, losing in the semifinals to American Tim Mayotte (6-4, 6-4, 6-3).
Venue: Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA
The Los Angeles Tennis Tournament was first held in 1927, and since 1984 it has been hosted by the Los Angeles Tennis Center, owned by UCLA. It included a women’s draw until 1974, but from 1975 it became a men-only tournament played on hard courts, a few weeks after the US Open. The tournament has attracted many great players, and its past champions have included American tennis legends such as Jimmy Connors (1973, 1974, 1982, 1984) and John McEnroe (1981, 1986).
Facts: Krickstein recovers from a 6-1, 5-2 win
The September 23, 1989 Los Angeles semifinal between No. 2 seed Brad Gilbert and No. 5 seed Aaron Krickstein featured both men in their peak form. Gilbert had already won four titles in 1989, a then-career-high 7th, while Krickstein had just achieved his best Grand Slam performance at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals. In Los Angeles, both players reached the semifinals without dropping a set.
At first, Gilbert controlled the match. Very consistent from the baseline, she was also effective at the net, and she soon went 6-1, 5-2 in the one-sided match. However, the world No. 7 was unable to seal victory as he served for the match at 5-3, conceding four match points, including one on a double fault. In the next game, ‘Marathon Man’ Krickstein fell behind 0-40, but once again he saved three points to stay alive.
At 5-5, Gilbert was broken for the second time, but although he broke his racket in anger, he was able to bounce back to win a 34-shot rally to push his opponent to a tiebreak. Krickstein played a perfect tiebreak to take the second set. Gilbert had had enough, and completely disheartened by the missed opportunities, he collapsed in the third set, which Krickstein won 6-2.
Next: Krickstein and Gilbert both earn career highs
The following day, in the finale, “Marathon Man” would escape another desperate situation, reversing a similar script against Michael Chang; Down 6-2, 4-1, Krickstein eventually prevailed (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) to claim his sixth career title.
In the months that followed, Krickstein would reach his highest ranking as world No. 6, but it would not be until the 1995 Australian Open that he achieved another remarkable Grand Slam result, where he reached the semifinals (losing to Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–4, 3–0, back).
Gilbert, after reaching world No. 4 in the early 1990s, slowly declined in the following years, and would later become famous as a tennis coach, guiding Andre Agassi to world No. 1 and later coaching Andy Murray. He will also write a book Winning uglywhere he would explain his views on the game. After the end of his coaching career, Brad Gilbert will work as a TV commentator.
