RallyIQ

Game plan

Alexander Bublik v Sergiy Stakhovsky

Every number combines what Alexander Bublik does well with what Sergiy Stakhovsky allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Alexander Bublik wins, best of 3 69%90%: 44%–87% · best of 5: 73%
Serve points won 68.5% / 64.5% Alexander / Sergiy · tour 63.4%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 68%serve 68.7% / 64.9%

Each player's serve and return strength is fitted against every opponent they were charted against, so a record built on weak opponents counts for less. At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers. The result is then nudged by Alexander Bublik's record against Sergiy Stakhovsky's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −2.3 on serve, +4.8 on return vs expectation (316 points)). A game-by-game Markov chain turns point odds into match odds; the 90% range covers the uncertainty in the two strengths, not the nudges. Charted matches lean toward big events, so treat this as a scouting estimate, not a betting line.

Head to head, per 100 shots

CareerAlexanderSergiy
Direction choice−0.07 ±0.06
better than 39%
+0.03 ±0.12
better than 65%
Shot selection−0.42 ±0.11
better than 15%
−0.26 ±0.23
better than 27%
Execution−0.93 ±0.38
better than 26%
−1.63 ±0.76
better than 8%
Points left on the table2.88 ±0.13
lower than 26%
3.01 ±0.13
lower than 19%

Each player's career against an average tour player in the same position, adjusted for opponent strength, with a 90% margin (shots clustered by match). Points left on the table is the gap to the best-value direction for the same stroke, so lower is better. Percentiles are within each player's own tour. A side is highlighted only when the gap is larger than the margin on the difference.

Serve plan

The share of points the server wins when a first serve lands in that direction (hover a rate for its 90% interval; ± is the 90% margin). "Matchup" combines the server's rate with how this returner handles that serve. "Optimal" is the mix that wins most against this returner once they start reading a habit, at the response measured across the tour, and only within the range servers' habits actually vary. The gain over the current mix is how exploitable that mix is.

Alexander Bublik serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAlexander winsv SergiyMatchupOptimal
Wide41%77%80%83.8%±4.254% ▲
Body6%60%69%65.6%±10.70% ▼
T53%76%81%82.5%±4.446% ▼

Optimal v Sergiy Stakhovsky: +0.5±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.7 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAlexander winsv SergiyMatchupOptimal
Wide49%80%77%83.5%±4.263% ▲
Body9%65%66%67.5%±11.30% ▼
T42%72%76%76.1%±5.537% ▼

Optimal v Sergiy Stakhovsky: +0.7±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +4.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Sergiy Stakhovsky serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowSergiy winsv AlexanderMatchupOptimal
Wide46%73%74%73.8%±5.546%
Body14%60%66%62.3%±9.21% ▼
T40%80%78%82.5%±4.753% ▲

Optimal v Alexander Bublik: +1.0±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +6.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowSergiy winsv AlexanderMatchupOptimal
Wide50%72%76%74.7%±5.363% ▲
Body8%62%64%63.2%±11.10% ▼
T41%73%72%72.5%±5.937% ▼

Optimal v Alexander Bublik: +0.8±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +1.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Return plan

Value of each return, in points per 100 returns against an average return of the same serve (direction, court, surface): the tour's result with that return, the returner's own edge with it, and what this server gives up when it comes back to that side. Returns with no charted direction are left out, so values compare with each other rather than with zero. Depth isn't a choice here: missed returns have no depth. Serve quality isn't charted, so a block through the middle partly reflects the serve that forced it.

Alexander Bublik returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SergiyValue
FH slice through the middle44%−4.2+0.1±0.0−4.1±1.5
FH through the middle19%+4.3−1.8+0.5+3.0±2.5
FH slice down the line12%−4.3+1.0±0.0−3.3±1.9
FH slice crosscourt10%−4.3−1.3+1.1−4.6±2.3
FH crosscourt9%+5.5−1.8−0.6+3.2±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.2±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (1535 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SergiyValue
BH through the middle38%+6.4+1.6−2.6+5.4±2.3
BH crosscourt25%+8.8−1.0+0.7+8.5±3.0
BH slice through the middle16%−4.2+0.1−0.3−4.5±2.3
BH slice crosscourt10%+0.5−4.3−0.8−4.6±2.9
BH down the line8%+4.2+3.5−3.3+4.5±4.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.5±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (1329 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SergiyValue
FH through the middle31%−3.5−4.8−0.3−8.6±2.8
FH crosscourt21%−0.2+1.0+1.6+2.3±4.3
FH slice through the middle21%−12.7−0.3±0.0−12.9±1.6
FH down the line11%−1.8−5.0−5.5−12.3±4.5
FH slice crosscourt7%−12.5+1.2±0.0−11.3±2.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +10.1±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (420 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv SergiyValue
BH through the middle50%−2.9−0.3−0.1−3.3±2.1
BH crosscourt31%+1.0−1.8−0.5−1.2±2.8
BH down the line12%−0.2+1.5−2.7−1.4±4.8
FH through the middle2%−2.9−0.9−0.3−4.1±2.2
FH inside-in2%+0.6−1.2+1.6+0.9±4.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.4±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (834 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Sergiy Stakhovsky returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
FH through the middle45%+4.3−1.8+0.7+3.1±2.3
FH crosscourt23%+5.5−2.6−1.6+1.2±4.1
FH down the line17%+1.7+0.9+1.8+4.4±4.0
FH slice through the middle12%−4.2−1.0−1.8−7.0±2.0
FH slice down the line3%−4.3+1.5+1.0−1.8±2.7

Lean FH down the line: +2.9±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (242 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
BH slice through the middle43%−4.2−0.9−2.6−7.7±2.2
BH slice crosscourt29%+0.5−0.3−2.7−2.5±2.9
BH through the middle14%+6.4−1.6+2.2+7.0±2.3
BH slice down the line5%−8.4+0.4−5.2−13.2±3.2
BH crosscourt5%+8.8−0.5−0.2+8.1±2.7

Lean BH through the middle: +10.3±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (245 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
FH through the middle67%−3.5+0.4+0.1−2.9±2.3
FH crosscourt33%−0.2−2.7−1.3−4.2±3.8

Lean FH through the middle: +0.4±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (45 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AlexanderValue
BH slice crosscourt29%−4.0−0.1−3.3−7.4±2.5
BH through the middle27%−2.9+0.8+0.4−1.7±2.0
BH crosscourt19%+1.0+1.4−2.5−0.1±2.7
BH slice through the middle14%−11.3−0.6−2.6−14.6±2.3
BH down the line11%−0.2−2.5+0.7−2.0±4.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.8±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (133 returns charted)

Rally plan

Edge, in points per 100 shots: the hitter's skill with the shot (own) plus how much the receiver usually gives up against it (theirs), both measured against the tour average.

Alexander Bublik

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · return +1+1.6±2.9−0.8+2.4
FH to their backhand · serve +1+1.5±2.9−0.1+1.5
BH to their backhand · serve +1+0.8±2.7−0.4+1.2
FH to their forehand · serve +1+0.8±3.0+1.2−0.4
FH to their forehand · return +1+0.1±3.6+0.7−0.6
BH slice to the middle · return−0.7±2.2+0.4−1.1

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−9.5±3.8−5.3−4.2
BH to their forehand · rally−6.5±3.6−3.5−3.0
FH to the middle · rally−5.1±2.1−2.7−2.5
BH slice to their backhand · rally−4.8±2.3−4.0−0.8
FH to their backhand · rally−4.4±2.4−2.9−1.5

Sergiy Stakhovsky

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally+0.7±3.8+0.4+0.3
FH to the middle · rally+0.5±2.0+1.3−0.8
BH slice to their backhand · rally+0.1±2.1+0.4−0.3
FH to their forehand · return +1+0.1±3.6−2.0+2.1
FH to their forehand · rally−0.2±2.7±0.0−0.2
BH to their backhand · serve +1−0.6±2.8+3.0−3.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · return−6.0±4.0−4.0−2.0
BH volley to their backhand · serve +1−5.3±5.1−1.0−4.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1−4.6±3.1−1.7−3.0
BH slice to the middle · return−4.0±2.0−1.3−2.8
BH slice to the middle · rally−3.2±2.0−2.2−1.1

Against Sergiy Stakhovsky-like opponents

Alexander Bublik vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–63.6%33.6%
Players most similar to Sergiy Stakhovsky2 63.1%45.3%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Daniel Altmaier, Richard Gasquet, Pierre Hugues Herbert, Gregoire Barrere, Roger Federer, Nicolas Mahut, Mischa Zverev, Ivan Ljubicic, Andrei Pavel, Mark Philippoussis. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.