RallyIQ

Game plan

Magdalena Frech v Vera Zvonareva

Every number combines what Magdalena Frech does well with what Vera Zvonareva allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Magdalena Frech wins, best of 3 42%90%: 14%–76% · best of 5: 40%
Serve points won 55.7% / 57.2% Magdalena / Vera · tour 55.0%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 42%serve 55.7% / 57.2%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Magdalena Frech's record against Vera Zvonareva'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.

Head to head, per 100 shots

CareerMagdalenaVera
Direction choice+0.14 ±0.09
better than 78%
+0.01 ±0.13
better than 54%
Shot selection−0.42 ±0.11
better than 15%
+0.03 ±0.15
better than 47%
Execution+1.36 ±0.49
better than 96%
+0.99 ±0.45
better than 92%
Points left on the table2.39 ±0.15
lower than 78%
2.43 ±0.24
lower than 71%

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.

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.

Magdalena Frech serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMagdalena winsv VeraMatchupOptimal
Wide37%62%64%59.5%±8.438% ▲
Body12%59%52%54.0%±12.20% ▼
T51%63%71%65.9%±9.362% ▲

Optimal v Vera Zvonareva: +0.5±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMagdalena winsv VeraMatchupOptimal
Wide47%66%69%69.3%±9.262% ▲
Body13%48%56%47.4%±12.30% ▼
T40%56%64%55.7%±9.338% ▼

Optimal v Vera Zvonareva: +1.0±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +8.3 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Vera Zvonareva serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowVera winsv MagdalenaMatchupOptimal
Wide28%64%68%65.9%±9.028%
Body22%54%57%53.6%±10.56% ▼
T50%73%71%76.3%±7.266% ▲

Optimal v Magdalena Frech: +1.3±1.1 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +7.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowVera winsv MagdalenaMatchupOptimal
Wide43%61%66%61.8%±9.342%
Body24%56%61%60.4%±10.39% ▼
T34%65%68%68.1%±8.849% ▲

Optimal v Magdalena Frech: +0.9±1.2 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.5 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.

Magdalena Frech returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv VeraValue
FH through the middle39%+4.2+2.5+0.8+7.4±2.9
FH slice through the middle25%−6.7+1.5±0.0−5.3±2.4
FH down the line16%+1.5−0.6+2.0+2.9±4.7
FH crosscourt14%+5.3+0.1+2.3+7.7±4.4
FH slice down the line4%−10.5+1.5±0.0−9.0±1.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +5.0±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (317 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv VeraValue
BH through the middle41%+6.0+2.1+0.9+9.1±2.7
BH crosscourt27%+7.7+1.5+0.6+9.9±3.6
BH slice through the middle13%−6.2+1.2+0.2−4.9±2.4
BH down the line8%+2.2+2.1+2.1+6.3±4.6
BH slice crosscourt8%−4.2−0.9−1.2−6.3±2.6

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.3±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (300 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv VeraValue
FH through the middle49%−3.2+1.1−1.0−3.1±3.1
FH crosscourt26%+0.5+0.1−1.1−0.4±4.2
FH down the line25%−0.6+1.8+0.9+2.1±4.8

Lean FH down the line: +3.2±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (68 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv VeraValue
BH crosscourt37%+1.5+1.2+1.6+4.2±3.7
BH down the line34%−0.5+3.5+2.5+5.6±5.1
BH through the middle29%−2.6+1.5+0.2−0.9±2.8

Lean BH down the line: +2.4±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (139 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Vera Zvonareva returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MagdalenaValue
FH through the middle43%+4.2+0.8+2.3+7.3±2.8
FH down the line26%+1.5+5.0+0.5+7.1±4.7
FH crosscourt17%+5.3+0.3+2.0+7.6±4.3
FH slice through the middle11%−6.7+1.8+1.2−3.7±2.5
FH slice crosscourt3%−6.6−0.7−0.6−8.0±2.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +2.0±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (209 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MagdalenaValue
BH through the middle54%+6.0+1.0+0.6+7.6±2.7
BH crosscourt21%+7.7+1.1+1.5+10.4±3.5
BH down the line15%+2.2−1.0−0.9+0.3±4.4
BH slice through the middle10%−6.2+0.6−0.4−6.1±2.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +4.7±3.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (106 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MagdalenaValue
FH down the line42%−0.6+1.3−0.4+0.3±5.0
FH through the middle30%−3.2+1.4−1.7−3.5±2.8
FH crosscourt28%+0.5+1.8+0.9+3.2±4.0

Lean FH crosscourt: +3.2±3.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (53 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MagdalenaValue
BH through the middle47%−2.6+0.3+0.9−1.4±2.7
BH crosscourt39%+1.5+1.2−2.7±0.0±3.6
BH down the line14%−0.5−0.6+1.3+0.2±4.7

Lean BH crosscourt: +0.6±2.7 per 100 returns v the current mix (83 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 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.

Magdalena Frech

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · return+9.6±5.1+6.2+3.4
FH to the middle · rally+6.3±2.5+3.0+3.3
BH to their backhand · serve +1+5.7±4.2+1.2+4.5
FH to their forehand · serve +1+3.4±4.5+2.4+1.1
FH to their backhand · return+3.4±5.2+1.2+2.1
BH to their backhand · return+3.3±3.9+1.9+1.3

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · serve +1+0.3±3.1+0.9−0.6
BH to the middle · return +1+0.4±3.1+0.2+0.2
FH to the middle · return+0.6±3.1+0.3+0.2
BH to their backhand · rally+1.0±2.9+1.1−0.2
BH to their backhand · return +1+1.0±4.2+1.0+0.1

Vera Zvonareva

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return +1+5.6±3.1+1.2+4.4
BH to their backhand · serve +1+5.1±4.3+2.2+2.9
FH to their forehand · rally+5.1±2.9+2.6+2.4
FH to their backhand · serve +1+4.9±4.5+1.9+3.0
BH to the middle · serve +1+3.9±3.1+0.3+3.6
BH to their backhand · return +1+3.5±4.1+2.1+1.4

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their forehand · serve +1−2.0±5.9−0.2−1.8
FH to their forehand · serve +1−1.0±4.4+0.2−1.2
BH to their forehand · return +1−0.7±5.9−3.1+2.4
BH to the middle · rally−0.2±2.4−0.7+0.5
BH to their forehand · rally+1.1±4.5−0.6+1.7

Against Vera Zvonareva-like opponents

Magdalena Frech vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–55.6%42.3%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Jaqueline Cristian, Victoria Azarenka, Linda Fruhvirtova, Simona Halep, Mona Barthel, Kate Makarova, Jelena Jankovic, Nadia Petrova, Dinara Safina. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.