RallyIQ

Game plan

Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Elina Avanesyan

Every number combines what Aliaksandra Sasnovich does well with what Elina Avanesyan allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Aliaksandra Sasnovich wins, best of 3 43%90%: 11%–80% · best of 5: 41%
Serve points won 55.1% / 56.4% Aliaksandra / Elina · tour 58.1%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 37%serve 54.6% / 57.0%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Aliaksandra Sasnovich's record against Elina Avanesyan's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: +7.1 on serve, +8.8 on return vs expectation (227 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

CareerAliaksandraElina
Direction choice+0.06 ±0.10
better than 67%
−0.13 ±0.11
better than 30%
Shot selection+0.01 ±0.15
better than 46%
−0.05 ±0.13
better than 40%
Execution−1.60 ±0.56
better than 9%
+0.98 ±0.49
better than 91%
Points left on the table2.36 ±0.10
lower than 80%
2.53 ±0.14
lower than 62%

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.

Structural compatibility

Expected edge per 100 rally shots from style alone: Aliaksandra Sasnovich +0.12, Elina Avanesyan +1.11. Each player's shot mix weighted by their own skill with each shot and by how much the other gives up against it. This is why some rankings gaps don't hold in a given matchup.

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.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowAliaksandra winsv ElinaMatchupOptimal
Wide39%58%65%56.9%±7.540%
Body24%51%62%55.8%±9.59% ▼
T36%69%69%69.2%±7.851% ▲

Optimal v Elina Avanesyan: +0.6±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +8.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowAliaksandra winsv ElinaMatchupOptimal
Wide49%65%62%61.7%±7.434% ▼
Body26%55%61%60.6%±9.826%
T25%59%67%61.7%±9.140% ▲

Optimal v Elina Avanesyan: +0.5±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Elina Avanesyan serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowElina winsv AliaksandraMatchupOptimal
Wide46%56%67%57.2%±7.453% ▲
Body28%54%59%55.4%±8.813% ▼
T25%56%68%56.2%±8.834% ▲

Optimal v Aliaksandra Sasnovich: +0.4±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowElina winsv AliaksandraMatchupOptimal
Wide53%62%74%71.0%±7.369% ▲
Body26%57%61%61.9%±8.826%
T20%59%59%53.2%±9.15% ▼

Optimal v Aliaksandra Sasnovich: +1.2±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +6.0 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.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ElinaValue
FH through the middle49%+4.2−0.3+1.9+5.7±2.6
FH crosscourt23%+5.3+0.7+1.9+7.9±4.2
FH down the line23%+1.5−2.9+3.9+2.5±4.5
FH slice through the middle4%−6.7−0.8+0.1−7.4±2.2
FH slice crosscourt1%−6.6−1.6+1.6−6.6±1.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.0±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (411 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ElinaValue
BH through the middle42%+6.0+0.7+1.9+8.6±2.5
BH crosscourt27%+7.7+0.5+2.1+10.3±3.5
BH slice through the middle10%−6.2−2.2+1.5−6.9±2.3
BH down the line10%+2.2+0.2+4.1+6.5±4.5
BH slice crosscourt8%−4.2−1.7±0.0−5.9±2.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.8±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (306 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ElinaValue
FH through the middle45%−3.2−2.9+2.8−3.3±3.1
FH crosscourt31%+0.5+2.0+3.0+5.5±4.5
FH down the line24%−0.6−2.5+6.9+3.9±5.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.4±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (147 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv ElinaValue
BH crosscourt49%+1.5−0.8+1.3+2.0±3.6
BH through the middle38%−2.6−2.1+1.4−3.3±2.8
BH down the line13%−0.5−0.8−2.6−3.9±5.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.7±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (152 returns charted)

Elina Avanesyan returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AliaksandraValue
FH through the middle56%+4.2+4.7−0.5+8.3±2.6
FH down the line20%+1.5+0.7+0.2+2.5±4.7
FH crosscourt14%+5.3+0.4+2.4+8.2±4.2
FH slice through the middle6%−6.7−0.6+0.2−7.1±2.4
FH slice crosscourt3%−6.6−2.3+0.2−8.7±2.0

Lean FH through the middle: +2.9±1.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (309 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AliaksandraValue
BH through the middle44%+6.0+3.3−1.3+8.0±2.4
BH crosscourt36%+7.7+3.7−1.9+9.6±3.3
BH down the line16%+2.2+0.7+3.9+6.8±4.6
BH slice down the line2%−12.5+0.5±0.0−12.0±1.5
BH slice through the middle2%−6.2+1.0±0.0−5.2±2.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +1.8±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (260 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AliaksandraValue
FH through the middle51%−3.2+2.6+1.4+0.8±3.0
FH down the line34%−0.6+4.2−2.5+1.2±5.0
FH crosscourt15%+0.5+0.7+0.9+2.1±3.9

Lean FH down the line: +0.1±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (65 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv AliaksandraValue
BH through the middle40%−2.6+1.0+0.5−1.2±2.6
BH crosscourt38%+1.5+0.6−1.5+0.5±3.5
BH down the line22%−0.5+2.3+1.8+3.6±5.1

Lean BH down the line: +3.1±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (113 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

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 on grass. Each player's grass record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · rally+7.9±5.8+2.4+5.5
FH to their backhand · return+6.5±6.1−1.3+7.8
FH to their forehand · return+5.5±5.1+0.3+5.2
BH to their forehand · serve +1+4.5±6.8−0.9+5.5
FH to their backhand · serve +1+3.9±5.8−0.5+4.3
FH to the middle · return+2.3±4.0−4.0+6.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · rally−5.5±4.5−3.4−2.1
BH to their backhand · serve +1−5.1±5.0−3.0−2.1
FH to their forehand · rally−5.0±4.7−4.8−0.2
FH to the middle · return +1−4.7±3.2−4.0−0.7
FH to the middle · serve +1−4.0±3.7−4.5+0.4

Elina Avanesyan

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to the middle · return+7.6±3.9+7.0+0.7
BH to their forehand · return+4.8±6.2+1.5+3.4
BH to their backhand · return +1+4.6±5.0+4.0+0.6
FH to the middle · serve +1+4.2±3.2+2.3+1.9
FH to their forehand · return +1+3.8±5.6+3.5+0.2
FH to the middle · return +1+3.3±3.7+0.6+2.7

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · serve +1−2.3±5.6−2.8+0.5
BH to their forehand · rally−1.2±5.0−1.7+0.5
BH to the middle · return−0.8±3.6−0.2−0.6
FH to their backhand · return−0.3±6.1+3.0−3.3
BH to their backhand · return+0.1±5.0+1.0−0.8

Against Elina Avanesyan-like opponents

Aliaksandra Sasnovich vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–52.6%42.0%
Players most similar to Elina Avanesyan2 61.5%51.8%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Cristina Bucsa, Alina Korneeva, Daria Kasatkina, Emma Raducanu, Victoria Mboko, Caroline Wozniacki, Lesia Tsurenko, Brenda Fruhvirtova, Alison Riske Amritraj, Elena Dementieva. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.