RallyIQ

Game plan

Daniel Evans v Roberto Bautista Agut

Every number combines what Daniel Evans does well with what Roberto Bautista Agut allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Daniel Evans wins, best of 3 64%90%: 38%–85% · best of 5: 68%
Serve points won 61.8% / 58.9% Daniel / Roberto · tour 61.3%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 61%serve 61.9% / 59.8%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Daniel Evans's record against Roberto Bautista Agut's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −0.4 on serve, +3.8 on return vs expectation (901 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

CareerDanielRoberto
Direction choice−0.03 ±0.17
better than 48%
+0.03 ±0.06
better than 65%
Shot selection−1.18 ±0.22
better than 1%
+0.08 ±0.08
better than 62%
Execution+0.37 ±0.40
better than 81%
+1.23 ±0.28
better than 98%
Points left on the table3.06 ±0.27
lower than 17%
2.30 ±0.09
lower than 85%

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: Daniel Evans +1.98, Roberto Bautista Agut +0.38. 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.

Daniel Evans serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv RobertoMatchupOptimal
Wide31%74%74%74.9%±4.644% ▲
Body12%62%60%58.8%±8.80% ▼
T57%73%76%73.8%±4.256%

Optimal v Roberto Bautista Agut: +1.0±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +2.6 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDaniel winsv RobertoMatchupOptimal
Wide56%73%77%76.7%±4.069% ▲
Body9%57%53%46.8%±10.20% ▼
T34%67%72%67.6%±5.331% ▼

Optimal v Roberto Bautista Agut: +0.9±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +5.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Roberto Bautista Agut serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowRoberto winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide45%70%71%68.1%±4.758% ▲
Body9%64%63%63.7%±8.70% ▼
T47%72%73%70.7%±4.542% ▼

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

Ad court

1st serveNowRoberto winsv DanielMatchupOptimal
Wide56%70%70%67.0%±4.751% ▼
Body9%61%66%63.9%±9.50% ▼
T36%72%65%65.2%±5.649% ▲

Optimal v Daniel Evans: +0.3±0.7 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +0.9 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.

Daniel Evans returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
FH through the middle41%+4.3+1.7+2.6+8.6±2.1
FH down the line24%+1.7+1.8+4.3+7.8±3.8
FH slice through the middle14%−4.2+0.2+2.1−1.9±2.2
FH crosscourt13%+5.5−1.0−1.2+3.4±3.8
FH slice down the line6%−4.3+1.8−0.1−2.6±3.1

Lean FH through the middle: +3.2±1.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (455 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
BH slice through the middle43%−4.2+0.5+3.1−0.5±1.9
BH slice crosscourt27%+0.5+1.6+1.1+3.2±2.7
BH through the middle12%+6.4+0.9+1.2+8.5±2.2
BH slice down the line7%−8.4+0.3−1.3−9.4±3.5
BH crosscourt6%+8.8−0.6+2.2+10.4±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +8.7±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (580 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
FH through the middle51%−3.5−0.4−0.4−4.2±2.6
FH down the line32%−1.8+0.9+1.5+0.7±4.4
FH crosscourt17%−0.2+3.4−1.4+1.7±3.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.4±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (103 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv RobertoValue
BH slice crosscourt35%−4.0−2.1−2.1−8.2±2.3
BH slice through the middle25%−11.3−1.2−1.9−14.3±2.2
BH through the middle10%−2.9+0.5+2.3±0.0±2.1
FH through the middle9%−2.9−0.5−0.4−3.8±2.1
FH inside-out8%+1.0+1.1+1.5+3.5±3.5

Lean FH inside-out: +10.2±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (442 returns charted)

Roberto Bautista Agut returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle47%+4.3+2.4+0.9+7.6±2.0
FH down the line19%+1.7+2.4+5.9+10.0±3.9
FH crosscourt15%+5.5+1.8±0.0+7.3±4.0
FH slice through the middle13%−4.2+0.4−0.3−4.1±2.2
FH slice crosscourt3%−4.3+0.3−0.4−4.5±2.4

Lean FH down the line: +4.2±3.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (1224 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH through the middle42%+6.4+2.7+1.5+10.6±1.8
BH crosscourt20%+8.8+2.4+1.0+12.2±2.8
BH slice through the middle17%−4.2−0.1+0.1−4.2±2.2
BH down the line11%+4.2+4.9+3.0+12.2±4.4
BH slice crosscourt6%+0.5−1.2−2.1−2.7±3.0

Lean BH crosscourt: +5.3±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (1218 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
FH through the middle48%−3.5+0.4−0.2−3.3±2.6
FH crosscourt24%−0.2+0.7+2.1+2.6±4.4
FH down the line24%−1.8+0.9+0.4−0.5±4.6
FH slice through the middle4%−12.7±0.0+0.7−12.0±1.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +4.1±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (289 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DanielValue
BH through the middle48%−2.9+0.6+0.5−1.7±1.7
BH crosscourt33%+1.0+1.7+1.0+3.7±2.5
BH down the line12%−0.2+0.8+5.3+5.9±4.8
FH through the middle3%−2.9−0.4−0.2−3.4±2.2
FH inside-out2%+1.0±0.0+0.4+1.3±3.5

Lean BH down the line: +4.9±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (961 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.

Daniel Evans

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH drop shot to their forehand · rally+10.0±7.6+2.3+7.7
FH to their forehand · return+8.3±5.5+5.7+2.7
BH to their forehand · rally+6.3±5.0+2.5+3.8
BH to their backhand · rally+5.7±2.9+4.5+1.2
FH to their backhand · return+5.5±4.4+0.2+5.3
FH to the middle · return +1+5.0±3.4+3.8+1.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · rally−6.6±8.0−5.4−1.3
BH to their forehand · return +1−2.3±6.3−0.5−1.8
BH slice to the middle · return +1−1.1±3.1+1.4−2.5
BH to the middle · rally−0.9±2.6−0.7−0.2
BH slice to their backhand · return−0.7±3.3−1.9+1.2

Roberto Bautista Agut

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return+10.1±5.7+3.7+6.5
FH to their backhand · return+6.6±4.6+1.7+4.9
FH to the middle · serve +1+4.3±3.3+2.9+1.4
BH to their forehand · return +1+3.3±6.4−0.2+3.5
BH to their backhand · return+3.0±3.2+3.4−0.4
FH to the middle · return+2.9±2.8+2.5+0.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH volley to their forehand · rally−7.7±7.3−3.6−4.1
FH to their backhand · return +1−4.3±4.5−1.4−2.9
BH slice to their backhand · return−2.1±2.9−0.2−1.9
FH to their backhand · serve +1−2.1±3.4+0.7−2.8
BH slice to their forehand · rally−1.9±4.8−1.1−0.8

Against Roberto Bautista Agut-like opponents

Daniel Evans vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–62.1%37.6%
Players most similar to Roberto Bautista Agut4 61.3%41.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Casper Ruud, Brandon Nakashima, Gael Monfils, Mariano Navone, Novak Djokovic, Karen Khachanov, Pablo Carreno Busta, Francisco Cerundolo, Roberto Carballes Baena, Bernabe Zapata Miralles. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.