United Cup · RR · Hard · 5 Jan 2026
Hubert Hurkacz v Alexander Zverev
59–50 in points · Hubert Hurkacz won
Why it went the way it did
Hubert Hurkacz won 2.6 more points than Alexander Zverev relative to what the serve alone predicted. Alexander Zverev's biggest leaks: slice shot selection −0.8, return execution −0.5.
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 | Hubert Hurkacz | Alexander Zverev | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | Dir | Sel | Exec | Total | |
| Serve 1st | +0.2 | −0.1 | +4.6 | +4.7 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +2.1 | +2.1 |
| Serve 2nd | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +1.0 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 |
| Return | +0.1 | −0.6 | −1.2 | −1.6 | +0.3 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.4 |
| Forehand | +0.1 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +3.5 | ±0.0 | +1.5 | +2.2 | +3.6 |
| Backhand | −0.1 | +0.7 | +2.4 | +3.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +1.6 | +1.9 |
| Slice | +0.2 | −1.8 | +0.2 | −1.4 | ±0.0 | −0.8 | −0.3 | −1.1 |
| Net | +0.2 | +0.1 | −1.2 | −0.9 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.3 |
| Touch | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.2 | −0.2 |
| All shots | +0.8 | +0.2 | +7.4 | +8.4 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +5.5 | +5.8 |
Set by set
| Set | Hubert Hurkacz | Alexander Zverev | Net, Hubert | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +5.3 | +2.4 | +2.8 | |
| 2 | +3.1 | +3.3 | −0.2 |
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.
Hubert Hurkacz serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45% 64% | – | 55% 82% |
| 2 | 45% 57% | 6% 0% | 48% 87% |
Set to set +1.40 per 100 first serves in sets 2+
Within sets +0.05 per 100 first serves, every two to three service games
Alexander Zverev serving
| Set | Wide | Body | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60% 67% | 10% 50% | 30% 67% |
| 2 | 62% 69% | – | 38% 70% |
Within sets −0.71 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.
Hubert Hurkacz
3.5 points left on the table across 184 shots 1.88 per 100 shots
- Return of a 1st serve, wide, ad court hit BH down the line ×2; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.18 pts
- Serve +1: deep return to your backhand side hit BH through the middle ×3; BH crosscourt rates higher · 0.18 pts
- Serve +1: mid-depth return to your middle hit FH through the middle ×2; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.17 pts
- Long rally, 9+: drive to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.16 pts
Alexander Zverev
3.4 points left on the table across 181 shots 1.89 per 100 shots
- Long rally, 9+: slice to your backhand side hit BH through the middle + approach ×1; BH crosscourt + approach rates higher · 0.39 pts
- Serve +1: short return to your forehand side hit FH through the middle ×2; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.22 pts
- Long rally, 9+: volley to your backhand side, opponent at net hit BH slice through the middle ×1; BH slice crosscourt rates higher · 0.19 pts
- Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle hit FH through the middle ×3; FH crosscourt rates higher · 0.17 pts