Game plan

Andrei Cherkasov v Miomir Kecmanovic

Every number combines what Andrei Cherkasov does well with what Miomir Kecmanovic allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Andrei Cherkasov wins, best of 3 52%90%: 20%–83% · best of 5: 53%

Serve points won 63.9% / 63.5% Andrei / Miomir · tour 65.7%

Strengths only, no similarity priors 52%serve 63.9% / 63.5%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Andrei Cherkasov's record against Miomir Kecmanovic's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads. 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.

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.

Andrei Cherkasov serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Andrei wins	v Miomir	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	54%	63%	76%	66.9%±8.7	53% ▼
Body	11%	63%	58%	58.0%±14.4	0% ▼
T	34%	66%	80%	71.7%±10.5	47% ▲

Optimal v Miomir Kecmanovic: +0.9±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +4.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Andrei wins	v Miomir	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	30%	69%	73%	70.1%±11.9	30%
Body	20%	57%	58%	51.9%±13.8	7% ▼
T	50%	66%	73%	67.4%±9.5	63% ▲

Optimal v Miomir Kecmanovic: +0.6±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Miomir Kecmanovic serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Miomir wins	v Andrei	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	41%	68%	69%	63.3%±9.8	42%
Body	16%	61%	59%	55.8%±13.9	2% ▼
T	43%	73%	67%	65.1%±12.1	56% ▲

Optimal v Andrei Cherkasov: +0.8±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +2.2 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Miomir wins	v Andrei	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	45%	71%	72%	71.0%±9.5	58% ▲
Body	14%	65%	65%	67.7%±13.9	1% ▼
T	41%	68%	72%	68.2%±11.9	41%

Optimal v Andrei Cherkasov: +0.5±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.6 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.

Andrei Cherkasov returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Miomir	Value
FH down the line	62%	+1.7	+4.9	+1.8	+8.4±4.1
FH through the middle	30%	+4.3	−0.4	+1.1	+4.9±2.3
FH crosscourt	8%	+5.5	−1.0	+4.0	+8.5±3.2

Lean FH down the line: +1.0±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (60 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Miomir	Value
BH down the line	46%	+4.2	+0.6	−0.5	+4.4±4.5
BH through the middle	40%	+6.4	+0.8	+2.4	+9.7±2.2
BH crosscourt	14%	+8.8	+0.4	+1.4	+10.7±2.5

Lean BH through the middle: +2.3±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (50 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Miomir	Value
BH through the middle	52%	−2.9	+2.2	+0.3	−0.4±2.1
BH down the line	28%	−0.2	+1.1	+0.1	+1.0±4.5
BH crosscourt	12%	+1.0	−0.7	+0.4	+0.6±2.3
FH through the middle	8%	−2.9	+0.4	−0.1	−2.6±1.6

Lean BH down the line: +1.1±3.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (65 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Miomir Kecmanovic returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Andrei	Value
FH through the middle	51%	+4.3	+2.7	−0.3	+6.6±2.5
FH crosscourt	21%	+5.5	+0.3	+2.3	+8.0±3.5
FH down the line	13%	+1.7	+4.3	+0.9	+6.9±4.3
FH slice through the middle	10%	−4.2	−0.1	±0.0	−4.3±1.6
FH slice down the line	3%	−4.3	−0.3	±0.0	−4.6±2.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.7±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (845 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Andrei	Value
BH crosscourt	37%	+8.8	+3.2	+0.3	+12.4±3.1
BH through the middle	35%	+6.4	+1.6	+0.8	+8.8±2.5
BH slice through the middle	13%	−4.2	−0.2	+1.2	−3.2±2.2
BH slice crosscourt	9%	+0.5	+0.5	±0.0	+1.0±2.1
BH down the line	5%	+4.2	+0.7	+2.6	+7.5±4.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.9±2.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (721 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Andrei	Value
FH through the middle	56%	−3.5	+0.6	+1.7	−1.2±2.6
FH crosscourt	28%	−0.2	+2.8	+1.5	+4.1±3.8
FH down the line	16%	−1.8	+1.1	+0.4	−0.3±4.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.6±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (172 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Andrei	Value
BH crosscourt	46%	+1.0	+2.0	+1.7	+4.6±2.4
BH through the middle	42%	−2.9	+1.8	+0.8	−0.3±1.9
BH down the line	6%	−0.2	+0.5	−0.6	−0.3±4.2
FH through the middle	3%	−2.9	+0.9	+1.7	−0.2±2.1
FH inside-in	2%	+0.6	+2.6	+1.5	+4.7±3.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.7±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (550 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 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.

Andrei Cherkasov

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH to their forehand · rally	+8.4±5.0	+3.2	+5.2
FH to their forehand · rally	+3.9±4.1	−2.5	+6.4
BH to the middle · rally	+2.9±2.6	+1.0	+1.9
BH to the middle · return	+2.3±3.0	+1.7	+0.6
FH to their backhand · rally	+0.5±4.1	−0.5	+1.0
BH to their backhand · rally	−2.5±3.3	−1.3	−1.2

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH to their backhand · rally	−2.5±3.3	−1.3	−1.2
FH to their backhand · rally	+0.5±4.1	−0.5	+1.0
BH to the middle · return	+2.3±3.0	+1.7	+0.6
BH to the middle · rally	+2.9±2.6	+1.0	+1.9
FH to their forehand · rally	+3.9±4.1	−2.5	+6.4

Miomir Kecmanovic

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
FH to their backhand · rally	+5.3±4.0	+2.6	+2.7
FH to their forehand · rally	+2.4±4.0	+3.3	−0.9
BH to their backhand · rally	−1.1±3.3	−1.1	±0.0

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH to their backhand · rally	−1.1±3.3	−1.1	±0.0
FH to their forehand · rally	+2.4±4.0	+3.3	−0.9
FH to their backhand · rally	+5.3±4.0	+2.6	+2.7

Against Miomir Kecmanovic-like opponents

Andrei Cherkasov v	Matches	Serve pts won	Return pts won
All charted opponents	–	56.0%	36.5%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Alex De Minaur, Gael Monfils, Botic Van De Zandschulp, Novak Djokovic, Marcos Giron, Taylor Fritz, Nuno Borges, Arthur Cazaux, Emil Ruusuvuori, Ilya Ivashka. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.