Game plan
Belinda Bencic v Victoria Azarenka
Every number combines what Belinda Bencic does well with what Victoria Azarenka allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective
Forecast
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. Both were charted enough in the last three seasons, so those carry the most weight. The result is then nudged by Belinda Bencic's record against Victoria Azarenka's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −4.0 on serve, +0.2 on return vs expectation (546 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
| Career | Belinda | Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| Direction choice | +0.11 ±0.04 better than 74% | +0.06 ±0.05 better than 65% |
| Shot selection | +0.12 ±0.07 better than 58% | +0.21 ±0.07 better than 67% |
| Execution | +0.91 ±0.34 better than 89% | +0.96 ±0.29 better than 90% |
| Points left on the table | 2.41 ±0.06 lower than 75% | 2.42 ±0.07 lower than 74% |
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: Belinda Bencic +1.73, Victoria Azarenka +1.55. 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.
Belinda Bencic serving
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Now | Belinda wins | v Victoria | Matchup | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 50% | 66% | 65% | 65.0%±3.5 | 65% ▲ |
| Body | 18% | 65% | 56% | 63.8%±5.3 | 18% |
| T | 32% | 71% | 66% | 69.3%±4.3 | 17% ▼ |
Optimal v Victoria Azarenka: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.
Ad court
| 1st serve | Now | Belinda wins | v Victoria | Matchup | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 42% | 70% | 69% | 73.0%±3.9 | 28% ▼ |
| Body | 14% | 63% | 51% | 58.5%±6.3 | 13% ▼ |
| T | 44% | 69% | 62% | 66.8%±3.7 | 59% ▲ |
Optimal v Victoria Azarenka: +0.4±0.6 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +4.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.
Victoria Azarenka serving
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Now | Victoria wins | v Belinda | Matchup | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 40% | 65% | 67% | 65.7%±3.7 | 41% |
| Body | 18% | 58% | 55% | 56.0%±5.3 | 3% ▼ |
| T | 41% | 68% | 72% | 72.4%±3.8 | 56% ▲ |
Optimal v Belinda Bencic: +1.1±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +5.7 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.
Ad court
| 1st serve | Now | Victoria wins | v Belinda | Matchup | Optimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 42% | 67% | 69% | 70.2%±3.9 | 57% ▲ |
| Body | 21% | 57% | 53% | 54.7%±5.6 | 6% ▼ |
| T | 37% | 60% | 67% | 62.7%±4.1 | 37% |
Optimal v Belinda Bencic: +1.0±0.7 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.
Belinda Bencic returning
1st serve to the forehand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Victoria | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FH through the middle | 32% | +4.2 | ±0.0 | +1.3 | +5.5±1.7 |
| FH slice through the middle | 26% | −6.7 | −0.4 | +0.9 | −6.2±2.1 |
| FH crosscourt | 18% | +5.3 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +7.3±3.1 |
| FH down the line | 13% | +1.5 | +2.7 | +0.7 | +5.0±3.6 |
| FH slice crosscourt | 9% | −6.6 | −0.2 | +0.8 | −6.0±2.7 |
Lean FH crosscourt: +6.0±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (1174 returns charted)
1st serve to the backhand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Victoria | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BH through the middle | 47% | +6.0 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +6.8±1.6 |
| BH crosscourt | 34% | +7.7 | −2.0 | −0.1 | +5.5±2.4 |
| BH down the line | 9% | +2.2 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +4.2±4.0 |
| BH slice through the middle | 5% | −6.2 | ±0.0 | −1.5 | −7.7±2.4 |
| BH slice crosscourt | 4% | −4.2 | −1.8 | −2.3 | −8.3±3.0 |
Lean BH through the middle: +2.3±1.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (857 returns charted)
2nd serve to the forehand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Victoria | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FH through the middle | 44% | −3.2 | +0.6 | −0.2 | −2.8±2.4 |
| FH crosscourt | 25% | +0.5 | −2.7 | +1.2 | −0.9±3.8 |
| FH down the line | 23% | −0.6 | +3.2 | −0.3 | +2.3±4.7 |
| FH slice through the middle | 5% | −15.2 | +0.2 | −0.9 | −15.9±2.0 |
| FH slice crosscourt | 3% | −14.9 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −14.6±1.5 |
Lean FH down the line: +4.4±3.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (383 returns charted)
2nd serve to the backhand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Victoria | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 44% | +1.5 | +2.8 | +0.2 | +4.5±2.7 |
| BH through the middle | 41% | −2.6 | −0.3 | −1.2 | −4.1±1.9 |
| BH down the line | 14% | −0.5 | +5.1 | −1.2 | +3.4±4.7 |
| FH through the middle | 1% | −2.7 | +0.3 | −0.2 | −2.5±1.7 |
Lean BH crosscourt: +3.7±1.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (525 returns charted)
Victoria Azarenka returning
1st serve to the forehand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Belinda | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FH through the middle | 48% | +4.2 | +2.0 | +1.2 | +7.4±1.5 |
| FH crosscourt | 24% | +5.3 | +0.9 | +1.7 | +7.9±2.8 |
| FH down the line | 21% | +1.5 | +1.7 | −4.7 | −1.5±3.3 |
| FH slice through the middle | 4% | −6.7 | −0.9 | −0.9 | −8.5±2.4 |
| FH slice down the line | 1% | −10.5 | −0.2 | −3.9 | −14.6±3.3 |
Lean FH crosscourt: +3.5±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1610 returns charted)
1st serve to the backhand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Belinda | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BH through the middle | 42% | +6.0 | +1.0 | −0.8 | +6.3±1.6 |
| BH crosscourt | 28% | +7.7 | +3.2 | −2.5 | +8.4±2.6 |
| BH slice through the middle | 12% | −6.2 | −0.7 | −0.5 | −7.5±2.3 |
| BH down the line | 10% | +2.2 | ±0.0 | −2.4 | −0.2±4.0 |
| BH slice down the line | 4% | −12.5 | −1.0 | −3.8 | −17.2±3.6 |
Lean BH crosscourt: +5.4±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (1134 returns charted)
2nd serve to the forehand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Belinda | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FH through the middle | 37% | −3.2 | −0.7 | +0.9 | −2.9±2.4 |
| FH down the line | 31% | −0.6 | +3.1 | −2.8 | −0.2±4.7 |
| FH crosscourt | 31% | +0.5 | +1.1 | +4.1 | +5.7±3.6 |
| BH through the middle | 1% | −1.0 | +0.4 | −0.6 | −1.2±1.5 |
Lean FH crosscourt: +5.1±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (392 returns charted)
2nd serve to the backhand
| Return | Now | Tour | Own | v Belinda | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BH crosscourt | 47% | +1.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +2.2±2.6 |
| BH through the middle | 37% | −2.6 | +1.3 | −0.6 | −2.0±2.0 |
| BH down the line | 14% | −0.5 | +5.2 | +1.9 | +6.7±4.6 |
| BH slice through the middle | 2% | −11.7 | +0.7 | −0.3 | −11.3±1.8 |
| FH through the middle | 1% | −2.7 | −1.3 | +0.9 | −3.0±1.7 |
Lean BH down the line: +5.6±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (679 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 clay. Each player's clay record is shrunk toward their all-surface one, so a thin sample on it moves the numbers only a little.
Belinda Bencic
Favour
| Shot | Edge | Own | Theirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH to their forehand · rally | +8.7±3.9 | +6.5 | +2.2 |
| BH to their forehand · return | +8.0±4.9 | +9.1 | −1.0 |
| FH to their backhand · return +1 | +7.3±4.7 | +3.6 | +3.7 |
| BH to their backhand · serve +1 | +5.4±3.7 | +4.7 | +0.7 |
| BH to their backhand · rally | +4.9±2.8 | +1.4 | +3.5 |
| BH to their forehand · serve +1 | +4.9±5.2 | +4.4 | +0.5 |
Avoid
| Shot | Edge | Own | Theirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH to the middle · return | −1.6±2.7 | −2.9 | +1.2 |
| FH to their forehand · serve +1 | −1.0±4.2 | −2.5 | +1.5 |
| BH to the middle · return | −0.9±2.3 | −0.5 | −0.4 |
| FH volley to their backhand · rally | −0.9±8.0 | +3.0 | −3.9 |
| BH to the middle · serve +1 | −0.9±2.6 | −1.2 | +0.4 |
Victoria Azarenka
Favour
| Shot | Edge | Own | Theirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH volley to their forehand · rally | +5.3±6.9 | +4.5 | +0.8 |
| FH volley to their backhand · rally | +5.2±7.0 | +5.3 | ±0.0 |
| BH to their forehand · serve +1 | +4.9±5.3 | +0.9 | +4.0 |
| FH to their backhand · serve +1 | +4.5±4.1 | +0.5 | +4.0 |
| FH to the middle · serve +1 | +3.8±2.9 | +2.4 | +1.4 |
| BH to their backhand · serve +1 | +3.2±3.6 | −0.2 | +3.4 |
Avoid
| Shot | Edge | Own | Theirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH slice to their forehand · rally | −4.6±4.8 | −5.3 | +0.7 |
| BH slice to the middle · return +1 | −4.0±3.1 | −1.1 | −2.9 |
| FH slice to their backhand · rally | −3.9±5.2 | −5.5 | +1.6 |
| FH slice to the middle · return | −2.9±2.9 | −2.0 | −0.9 |
| BH to their forehand · return | −2.6±5.0 | −0.1 | −2.5 |
Against Victoria Azarenka-like opponents
| Belinda Bencic v | Matches | Serve pts won | Return pts won |
|---|---|---|---|
| All charted opponents | – | 59.6% | 43.7% |
| Players most similar to Victoria Azarenka | 4 | 56.9% | 44.0% |
Similar by tactical fingerprint: Karolina Pliskova, Leylah Fernandez, Elise Mertens, Sorana Cirstea, Jaqueline Cristian, Linda Fruhvirtova, Alison Riske Amritraj, Mona Barthel, Vera Zvonareva. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.