Moscow · F · Hard · 25 Oct 1998
Monica Seles v Mary Pierce
65–80 in points · Mary Pierce won
Why it went the way it did
Mary Pierce won 6.8 more points than Monica Seles relative to what the serve alone predicted. Monica Seles's biggest leaks: return execution −2.2, slice shot selection −1.1, serve 2nd execution −1.1.
Each shot moves its hitter's chance of winning the point. Those moves are split into direction choice, shot selection and execution, and summed here. Read both columns together: one player's gain is the other's loss.
| Shot | Monica Seles | Mary Pierce | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | +0.2 | −0.2 | +0.5 | +0.5 | −0.5 | −0.2 | +1.1 | +0.3 |
| Serve 2nd | −0.1 | −0.1 | −1.1 | −1.3 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.7 | +0.5 |
| Return | +0.1 | −0.2 | −2.2 | −2.3 | −0.3 | −0.6 | −0.4 | −1.3 |
| Forehand | ±0.0 | +0.3 | −0.7 | −0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +3.1 | +3.8 |
| Backhand | +0.3 | +0.1 | +1.9 | +2.2 | −0.4 | +0.5 | +1.8 | +1.9 |
| Slice | −0.2 | −1.1 | +0.1 | −1.2 | ±0.0 | −0.7 | −0.4 | −1.1 |
| Net | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +1.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +1.5 | +1.3 |
| Touch | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −1.0 | −1.2 | +0.1 | −0.7 | −0.5 | −1.2 |
| All shots | +0.3 | −1.1 | −1.7 | −2.5 | −0.9 | −1.6 | +6.8 | +4.3 |
Set by set
| Set | Monica Seles | Mary Pierce | Net, Monica | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1.4 | +3.3 | −1.9 | |
| 2 | −3.8 | +1.0 | −4.9 |
Adaptation
First-serve direction mix set by set, with the share of points each direction won. The scores measure whether the server moved toward the directions that had been winning earlier in this match, set to set and every two to three service games, in points per 100 first serves. Read them as a habit, not a gain: across the tour, a direction's edge in early sets barely predicts the later ones. Whether the returner responded can't be told apart from noise within one match.
Monica Seles serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38% 64% | 11% 75% | 51% 63% |
| 2 | 43% 38% | 13% 75% | 43% 62% |
Set to set +0.22 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets −0.36 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Mary Pierce serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17% 75% | 37% 59% | 46% 71% |
| 2 | 22% 57% | 28% 67% | 50% 75% |
Set to set +0.12 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets −0.01 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Counterfactual: the best direction every time
If each shot had gone in the direction that is usually worth most for that stroke and position, this is how many more points each player would expect to win. It's an upper bound: the best direction isn't always on, and the chart can't see the ball's pace or position.
Monica Seles
5.4 points left on the table across 201 shots 2.68 per 100 shots
- Return +1: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×7; FH down the line rates higher · 0.45 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: lob to your middle hit BH through the middle ×2; BH down the line rates higher · 0.36 pts
- Return of a 1st serve, wide, deuce court hit BH down the line ×2; BH inside-in rates higher · 0.26 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.21 pts
Mary Pierce
5.5 points left on the table across 195 shots 2.84 per 100 shots
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit BH through the middle ×7; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.43 pts
- Return of a 1st serve, T, deuce court hit BH down the line ×6; BH through the middle rates higher · 0.41 pts
- Return of a 2nd serve, wide, ad court hit BH through the middle + approach ×1; BH down the line + approach rates higher · 0.32 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side, opponent at net hit FH through the middle ×2; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.27 pts