WTA Tour Championships · QF · Hard · 10 Nov 2002
Monica Seles v Venus Williams
83–91 in points · Venus Williams won
Why it went the way it did
Venus Williams won 2.7 more points than Monica Seles relative to what the serve alone predicted. Monica Seles's biggest leaks: serve 2nd execution −2.3, serve 1st execution −1.3, return shot selection −1.0.
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 | Venus Williams | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | +0.1 | −0.1 | −1.3 | −1.2 | −0.4 | −0.1 | +3.4 | +3.0 |
| Serve 2nd | −0.2 | ±0.0 | −2.3 | −2.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −1.4 | −1.4 |
| Return | +0.1 | −1.0 | +2.0 | +1.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | −1.0 | −0.5 |
| Forehand | +0.1 | +1.1 | −0.4 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.6 | −3.8 | −1.5 |
| Backhand | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +1.9 | +2.0 |
| Slice | +0.1 | −0.8 | +0.1 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | −0.6 | −0.9 |
| Net | +0.1 | +0.1 | +1.1 | +1.3 | −0.1 | +0.5 | −0.9 | −0.6 |
| Touch | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.8 | −1.1 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +1.1 |
| All shots | +0.7 | −0.8 | −1.5 | −1.6 | +0.4 | +2.3 | −1.6 | +1.1 |
Set by set
| Set | Monica Seles | Venus Williams | Net, Monica | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | −1.1 | +1.1 | −2.3 | |
| 2 | −0.5 | −0.1 | −0.4 |
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 | 44% 56% | 14% 60% | 42% 53% |
| 2 | 38% 54% | 18% 50% | 44% 40% |
Set to set +0.71 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +1.19 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Venus Williams serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37% 61% | 24% 58% | 39% 58% |
| 2 | 31% 63% | 31% 38% | 38% 55% |
Set to set −0.07 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets −0.41 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
6.8 points left on the table across 222 shots 3.05 per 100 shots
- Return of a 2nd serve, wide, deuce court hit BH crosscourt ×3; BH inside-out rates higher · 0.38 pts
- Return +1: drive to your forehand side, opponent at net hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.35 pts
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×4; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.34 pts
- Return of a 1st serve, wide, deuce court hit BH crosscourt ×9; BH inside-in rates higher · 0.26 pts
Venus Williams
5.4 points left on the table across 223 shots 2.41 per 100 shots
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side, you at net hit FH volley through the middle ×2; FH volley crosscourt rates higher · 0.50 pts
- Return +1: drive to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×8; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.38 pts
- Serve +1: deep return to your middle hit BH down the line ×4; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.27 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×5; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.27 pts