Game plan

Klara Koukalova v Linda Fruhvirtova

Every number combines what Klara Koukalova does well with what Linda Fruhvirtova allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Klara Koukalova wins, best of 3 25%90%: 5%–62% · best of 5: 20%

Serve points won 50.7% / 55.6% Klara / Linda · tour 56.3%

Strengths only, no similarity priors 25%serve 50.8% / 55.7%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Klara Koukalova's record against Linda Fruhvirtova's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −2.3 on serve, +1.7 on return vs expectation (157 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.

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.

Klara Koukalova serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Klara wins	v Linda	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	46%	56%	68%	57.6%±10.1	53% ▲
Body	27%	51%	52%	45.6%±12.1	12% ▼
T	27%	50%	72%	54.7%±12.5	35% ▲

Optimal v Linda Fruhvirtova: +0.3±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +4.0 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Klara wins	v Linda	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	14%	57%	63%	54.5%±13.5	17% ▲
Body	23%	52%	58%	54.6%±13.0	8% ▼
T	63%	65%	65%	65.1%±9.5	75% ▲

Optimal v Linda Fruhvirtova: +0.6±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.9 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Linda Fruhvirtova serving

Deuce court

1st serve	Now	Linda wins	v Klara	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	39%	67%	63%	63.7%±9.7	54% ▲
Body	14%	63%	59%	64.7%±12.2	3% ▼
T	47%	71%	69%	72.2%±10.0	43% ▼

Optimal v Klara Koukalova: +0.7±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serve	Now	Linda wins	v Klara	Matchup	Optimal
Wide	39%	68%	67%	69.2%±10.5	54% ▲
Body	16%	52%	62%	58.2%±13.2	1% ▼
T	45%	64%	59%	58.6%±11.1	45%

Optimal v Klara Koukalova: +0.7±1.2 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +6.6 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.

Klara Koukalova returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Linda	Value
FH through the middle	52%	+4.2	+0.8	−1.1	+3.9±2.9
FH crosscourt	37%	+5.3	+2.1	+2.3	+9.8±4.2
FH down the line	11%	+1.5	+2.2	±0.0	+3.7±4.1

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.7±3.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (81 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Linda	Value
BH through the middle	46%	+6.0	+0.9	+0.7	+7.6±2.6
BH crosscourt	31%	+7.7	+1.8	−2.9	+6.5±3.4
BH down the line	24%	+2.2	−1.0	+3.4	+4.5±4.3

Lean BH through the middle: +1.0±2.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (59 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Linda	Value
BH crosscourt	60%	+1.5	+0.9	−0.8	+1.6±3.6
BH through the middle	30%	−2.6	+0.6	+1.5	−0.6±2.5
BH down the line	10%	−0.5	+1.3	+1.9	+2.7±4.3

Lean BH crosscourt: +0.5±1.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (50 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Linda Fruhvirtova returning

1st serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Klara	Value
FH through the middle	54%	+4.2	+3.1	+0.8	+8.0±2.9
FH crosscourt	23%	+5.3	+2.7	+2.3	+10.3±4.3
FH down the line	19%	+1.5	+1.3	+2.0	+4.9±4.7
FH slice through the middle	2%	−6.7	+0.5	±0.0	−6.2±1.2
FH slice crosscourt	2%	−6.6	+0.6	±0.0	−6.0±1.2

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.9±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (331 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Klara	Value
BH crosscourt	43%	+7.7	+1.5	+1.1	+10.4±3.4
BH through the middle	42%	+6.0	+1.6	+0.3	+7.9±2.8
BH down the line	8%	+2.2	−2.2	+5.7	+5.7±4.2
BH slice through the middle	4%	−6.2	+0.2	±0.0	−6.0±1.4
BH slice crosscourt	2%	−4.2	+0.1	±0.0	−4.0±1.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.4±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (272 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Klara	Value
FH through the middle	44%	−3.2	+2.1	−0.2	−1.3±2.8
FH crosscourt	35%	+0.5	±0.0	+3.8	+4.4±4.3
FH down the line	21%	−0.6	+2.1	+2.7	+4.2±4.6

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.6±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (95 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

Return	Now	Tour	Own	v Klara	Value
BH through the middle	44%	−2.6	+0.9	−0.2	−1.9±2.6
BH crosscourt	41%	+1.5	−0.3	+1.6	+2.9±3.6
BH down the line	15%	−0.5	−0.2	+1.6	+0.8±4.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +2.4±2.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (119 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.

Klara Koukalova

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH to the middle · return	+1.6±2.5	±0.0	+1.7
FH to their forehand · rally	+1.6±2.9	−0.7	+2.3
FH to their forehand · return +1	+1.5±3.9	+1.5	±0.0
FH to their backhand · rally	+1.2±3.6	−0.7	+1.8
FH to their forehand · serve +1	+0.9±4.0	−2.6	+3.5
FH to the middle · return	+0.5±2.8	+1.4	−0.9

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
FH to the middle · rally	−2.9±2.4	−1.9	−1.0
BH to the middle · rally	−1.3±2.2	−2.5	+1.2
BH to their backhand · rally	−1.2±3.0	−3.4	+2.2
BH to their backhand · return	−0.1±3.5	+2.2	−2.3
FH to the middle · return	+0.5±2.8	+1.4	−0.9

Linda Fruhvirtova

Favour

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
FH to their forehand · return	+6.3±4.3	+1.9	+4.4
FH to the middle · rally	+4.2±2.3	+2.6	+1.6
FH to the middle · return	+3.9±2.7	+2.6	+1.3
FH to their forehand · rally	+3.5±3.0	+3.9	−0.5
FH to their backhand · rally	+2.9±3.6	+1.4	+1.6
BH to their backhand · rally	+1.0±3.0	+2.2	−1.2

Avoid

Shot	Edge	Own	Theirs
BH to the middle · rally	−1.1±2.2	+0.4	−1.5
BH to the middle · serve +1	−0.7±2.6	−1.5	+0.8
BH to their backhand · rally	+1.0±3.0	+2.2	−1.2
FH to their backhand · rally	+2.9±3.6	+1.4	+1.6
FH to their forehand · rally	+3.5±3.0	+3.9	−0.5

Against Linda Fruhvirtova-like opponents

Klara Koukalova v	Matches	Serve pts won	Return pts won
All charted opponents	–	46.2%	45.4%
Players most similar to Linda Fruhvirtova	1	48.1%	47.5%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Magdalena Frech, Jaqueline Cristian, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Qiang Wang, Simona Halep, Tsvetana Pironkova, Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Dinara Safina. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.