RallyIQ

Game plan

Donna Vekic v Xin Yu Wang

Every number combines what Donna Vekic does well with what Xin Yu Wang allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Donna Vekic wins, best of 3 94%90%: 71%–100% · best of 5: 98%
Serve points won 70.9% / 58.0% Donna / Xin · tour 57.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 94%serve 71.6% / 58.8%

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. Both were charted enough in the last three seasons, so those carry the most weight. The result is then nudged by Donna Vekic's record against Xin Yu Wang's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −2.8 on serve, +3.4 on return vs expectation (954 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

CareerDonnaXin
Direction choice−0.09 ±0.05
better than 38%
+0.04 ±0.10
better than 62%
Shot selection+0.24 ±0.09
better than 72%
+0.30 ±0.16
better than 78%
Execution−0.33 ±0.37
better than 43%
−0.76 ±0.77
better than 25%
Points left on the table2.67 ±0.08
lower than 39%
2.56 ±0.19
lower than 58%

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: Donna Vekic +0.13, Xin Yu Wang −0.42. 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.

Donna Vekic serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowDonna winsv XinMatchupOptimal
Wide44%70%66%69.7%±5.744%
Body15%65%58%65.8%±8.50% ▼
T41%73%69%74.0%±5.856% ▲

Optimal v Xin Yu Wang: +1.1±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +3.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowDonna winsv XinMatchupOptimal
Wide48%68%72%74.3%±5.436% ▼
Body19%59%62%64.6%±8.416% ▼
T32%67%68%69.9%±6.448% ▲

Optimal v Xin Yu Wang: +0.1±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +3.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Xin Yu Wang serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowXin winsv DonnaMatchupOptimal
Wide48%64%69%66.7%±6.033% ▼
Body16%62%60%65.3%±8.516%
T35%70%69%71.1%±6.151% ▲

Optimal v Donna Vekic: +0.6±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowXin winsv DonnaMatchupOptimal
Wide46%66%67%68.1%±6.145%
Body16%48%58%50.6%±9.21% ▼
T38%65%70%70.5%±6.354% ▲

Optimal v Donna Vekic: +1.2±1.0 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.

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.

Donna Vekic returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv XinValue
FH through the middle54%+4.2+1.2+2.5+7.8±2.4
FH crosscourt20%+5.3+0.1−0.1+5.3±4.1
FH down the line18%+1.5+0.4−1.8+0.2±4.5
FH slice through the middle5%−6.7−0.9+0.7−6.9±2.6
FH slice crosscourt3%−6.6−3.7+1.3−9.1±2.4

Lean FH through the middle: +3.2±1.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (740 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv XinValue
BH through the middle53%+6.0+1.1−0.2+6.9±2.2
BH crosscourt21%+7.7+1.7+0.4+9.7±3.3
BH down the line19%+2.2+0.2−0.4+1.9±4.4
BH slice through the middle4%−6.2−3.2+0.6−8.8±2.5
BH slice crosscourt2%−4.2−3.7−1.3−9.2±2.5

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.4±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (867 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv XinValue
FH through the middle47%−3.2+0.3+2.6−0.3±3.0
FH crosscourt27%+0.5−2.0+3.9+2.4±4.5
FH down the line22%−0.6+0.7+2.3+2.4±5.3
FH slice through the middle5%−15.2+0.4±0.0−14.8±1.4

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.1±3.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (207 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv XinValue
BH through the middle50%−2.6+0.2−1.1−3.5±2.4
BH down the line20%−0.5−0.5−3.2−4.2±5.1
BH crosscourt17%+1.5−0.5−3.3−2.2±3.6
FH through the middle7%−2.7−0.6+2.6−0.6±2.6
FH inside-out5%+1.4−1.8+2.3+1.9±4.2

Lean FH inside-out: +4.7±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (477 returns charted)

Xin Yu Wang returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DonnaValue
FH through the middle52%+4.2−1.4−1.2+1.6±2.4
FH crosscourt22%+5.3−1.2+0.3+4.3±4.2
FH down the line13%+1.5−3.3−3.7−5.4±4.3
FH slice through the middle7%−6.7−0.6+0.3−7.1±2.4
BH through the middle4%+5.2+0.5−0.5+5.2±2.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.7±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (293 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DonnaValue
BH through the middle47%+6.0−2.0−0.5+3.5±2.3
BH crosscourt22%+7.7−0.7−3.1+3.9±3.3
BH down the line11%+2.2+1.7−1.3+2.5±4.5
BH slice through the middle8%−6.2−0.4−0.2−6.9±2.4
BH slice crosscourt4%−4.2−2.9−1.3−8.4±2.8

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.2±2.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (295 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DonnaValue
FH through the middle44%−3.2−1.5+0.3−4.4±2.6
FH down the line31%−0.6−1.0−2.1−3.6±4.6
FH crosscourt25%+0.5−0.6+4.2+4.2±3.8

Lean FH crosscourt: +6.2±3.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (84 returns charted)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv DonnaValue
BH crosscourt37%+1.5−3.7−1.1−3.3±3.3
BH through the middle29%−2.6−2.0+0.2−4.5±2.4
BH down the line20%−0.5+0.2+0.2−0.1±5.0
FH through the middle5%−2.7+0.4+0.3−2.0±1.8
FH inside-in5%+0.7+1.2+4.2+6.1±3.4

Lean BH down the line: +2.3±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (132 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.

Donna Vekic

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their forehand · rally+6.5±3.6+1.5+5.0
BH to their backhand · return +1+5.3±4.2+5.2+0.1
FH to the middle · return+5.0±2.8+2.4+2.6
FH to their backhand · serve +1+3.7±4.5+4.9−1.2
FH to their backhand · return +1+3.3±4.9+1.7+1.6
FH to their forehand · return+2.9±4.9+0.7+2.2

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · serve +1−8.8±5.5−4.2−4.6
BH to their forehand · return +1−5.1±5.6−2.9−2.2
BH to their backhand · return−4.6±4.0−2.9−1.8
FH to their backhand · rally−3.8±4.2−1.8−2.1
BH to their backhand · serve +1−3.0±4.3−2.0−1.0

Xin Yu Wang

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · rally+2.9±4.0+1.1+1.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1+1.5±4.3−0.2+1.7
BH to the middle · serve +1+1.4±2.9+1.0+0.4
FH to their forehand · serve +1+1.0±4.2+0.1+0.9
FH to their forehand · rally+0.5±3.4+0.9−0.5
FH to their backhand · return +1+0.1±5.0+1.7−1.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · return−8.0±4.8−1.9−6.2
FH to the middle · return−7.7±2.8−2.5−5.2
BH to their backhand · return−6.0±4.1−3.1−2.9
BH to their backhand · rally−4.6±3.7−1.6−3.0
BH to the middle · return−4.1±2.7−1.4−2.7

Against Xin Yu Wang-like opponents

Donna Vekic vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–57.6%41.1%
Players most similar to Xin Yu Wang6 56.6%45.2%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Iva Jovic, Anastasia Potapova, Bianca Andreescu, Marta Kostyuk, Emma Navarro, Maria Sakkari, Lulu Sun, Katie Boulter, Nao Hibino, Shelby Rogers. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.