RallyIQ

Canada Masters · F · Hard · 7 Aug 2025

Ben Shelton v Karen Khachanov

107–102 in points · Ben Shelton won

Why it went the way it did

Ben Shelton won 1.5 more points than Karen Khachanov relative to what the serve alone predicted. Karen Khachanov's biggest leaks: return execution −5.9, slice shot selection −3.0, serve 1st execution −2.6.

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.

ShotBen SheltonKaren Khachanov
DirSelExecTotalDirSelExecTotal
Serve 1st ±0.0 −0.1 +1.5 +1.3 +0.2 −0.2 −2.6 −2.6
Serve 2nd −0.1 +0.2 −1.3 −1.3 ±0.0 −0.1 +0.5 +0.4
Return −0.8 −1.1 +3.0 +1.1 −0.1 −1.3 −5.9 −7.3
Forehand −0.7 +1.5 −0.9 −0.1 −0.1 +2.0 +2.5 +4.4
Backhand −0.8 +0.7 −1.4 −1.4 −0.3 +0.2 +0.6 +0.5
Slice −1.0 −4.8 −0.1 −5.9 ±0.0 −3.0 −1.6 −4.6
Net −0.4 +0.4 +0.2 +0.1 −0.4 +0.6 +0.4 +0.6
Touch −0.6 ±0.0 −0.6 −1.2 −0.1 −0.4 +0.2 −0.4
All shots −4.4−3.2 +0.3−7.4 −0.8−2.0 −6.0−8.8

Set by set

SetBen SheltonKaren KhachanovNet, Ben
1−1.9−2.5 +0.6
2−3.1−1.3 −1.8
3−2.5−5.1 +2.7

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.

Ben Shelton serving

SetWideBodyT
1 50% 55% 8% 100% 43% 71%
2 49% 71% 9% 0% 43% 73%
3 48% 94% 12% 75% 39% 85%

Set to set −0.73 per 100 first serves in sets 2+

Within sets −1.10 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games

Karen Khachanov serving

SetWideBodyT
1 57% 76% – 43% 47%
2 35% 88% 9% 100% 57% 62%
3 62% 76% 9% 67% 29% 90%

Set to set +0.78 per 100 first serves in sets 2+

Within sets +0.58 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.

Ben Shelton

16.4 points left on the table across 421 shots 3.89 per 100 shots

  1. Return of a 2nd serve, T, ad court hit FH through the middle ×8; FH inside-out rates higher · 0.74 pts
  2. Return of a 1st serve, T, deuce court hit FH slice down the line ×5; FH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.63 pts
  3. Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×14; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.58 pts
  4. Long rally, 9+: drive to your backhand side hit BH slice through the middle ×8; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.56 pts

Karen Khachanov

10.0 points left on the table across 413 shots 2.43 per 100 shots

  1. Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×10; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.57 pts
  2. Serve +1: deep return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×6; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.44 pts
  3. Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×7; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.36 pts
  4. Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×4; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.35 pts