RallyIQ

Charleston · QF · Clay · 5 Apr 2024

Victoria Azarenka v Jessica Pegula

106–107 in points · Jessica Pegula won

Why it went the way it did

Jessica Pegula won 1.7 more points than Victoria Azarenka relative to what the serve alone predicted. Victoria Azarenka's biggest leaks: return execution −3.8, serve 2nd execution −3.4, slice shot selection −2.0.

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.

ShotVictoria AzarenkaJessica Pegula
DirSelExecTotalDirSelExecTotal
Serve 1st −0.5 ±0.0 −1.3 −1.8 −0.7 ±0.0 +1.0 +0.3
Serve 2nd +0.1 ±0.0 −3.4 −3.2 ±0.0 ±0.0 +1.6 +1.6
Return +0.2 +0.4 −3.8 −3.1 −0.1 −0.6 −2.9 −3.6
Forehand ±0.0 +4.0 +4.0 +8.0 +0.3 +2.9 +5.8 +9.1
Backhand −0.3 +0.8 +0.9 +1.4 +0.8 +0.8 +0.1 +1.6
Slice +0.1 −2.0 +0.6 −1.4 −0.1 −3.2 −1.1 −4.5
Net +0.3 +0.1 +1.4 +1.9 −0.1 ±0.0 −1.7 −1.8
Touch +0.2 +0.6 −0.7 +0.1 +0.1 +0.2 +0.5 +0.7
All shots +0.3+3.8 −2.3+1.8 +0.2+0.1 +3.2+3.5

Set by set

SetVictoria AzarenkaJessica PegulaNet, Victoria
1−0.1+2.4 −2.4
2+0.8−3.4 +4.2
3+1.1+4.5 −3.4

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.

Victoria Azarenka serving

SetWideBodyT
1 35% 73% 32% 40% 32% 50%
2 53% 63% 27% 75% 20% 50%
3 45% 56% 36% 45% 20% 55%

Set to set +1.26 per 100 first serves in sets 2+

Within sets +1.25 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games

Jessica Pegula serving

SetWideBodyT
1 25% 38% 41% 69% 34% 73%
2 32% 63% 40% 10% 28% 86%
3 31% 58% 38% 73% 31% 42%

Set to set +0.70 per 100 first serves in sets 2+

Within sets +0.61 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.

Victoria Azarenka

8.5 points left on the table across 389 shots 2.17 per 100 shots

  1. Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×12; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.65 pts
  2. Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×7; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.59 pts
  3. Return +1: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×7; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.44 pts
  4. Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side, opponent at net hit BH through the middle ×3; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.37 pts

Jessica Pegula

8.5 points left on the table across 410 shots 2.08 per 100 shots

  1. Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×8; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.43 pts
  2. Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×5; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.42 pts
  3. Serve +1: mid-depth return to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×5; BH down the line rates higher · 0.35 pts
  4. Return of a 2nd serve, body, deuce court hit BH through the middle ×5; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.30 pts