RallyIQ

Game plan

Marta Kostyuk v Marie Bouzkova

Every number combines what Marta Kostyuk does well with what Marie Bouzkova allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Marta Kostyuk wins, best of 3 97%90%: 85%–100% · best of 5: 99%
Serve points won 62.6% / 48.5% Marta / Marie · tour 55.1%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 97%serve 63.0% / 48.7%

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. Both were charted enough in the last three seasons, so those carry the most weight. The result is then nudged by Marta Kostyuk's record against Marie Bouzkova's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −2.2 on serve, +1.2 on return vs expectation (632 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

CareerMartaMarie
Direction choice−0.06 ±0.05
better than 43%
−0.04 ±0.07
better than 48%
Shot selection+0.13 ±0.09
better than 60%
+0.09 ±0.12
better than 54%
Execution−0.34 ±0.29
better than 41%
+0.73 ±0.39
better than 86%
Points left on the table2.69 ±0.07
lower than 36%
2.65 ±0.08
lower than 42%

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: Marta Kostyuk +1.78, Marie Bouzkova −0.32. 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.

Marta Kostyuk serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMarta winsv MarieMatchupOptimal
Wide36%70%69%73.0%±4.351% ▲
Body24%60%62%64.2%±6.19% ▼
T40%72%70%73.9%±5.140%

Optimal v Marie Bouzkova: +0.9±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving T every time would read +2.7 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMarta winsv MarieMatchupOptimal
Wide47%73%70%76.8%±4.662% ▲
Body26%58%60%62.6%±6.611% ▼
T27%64%68%67.6%±5.327%

Optimal v Marie Bouzkova: +1.1±0.8 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix. Serving wide every time would read +6.1 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Marie Bouzkova serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowMarie winsv MartaMatchupOptimal
Wide53%62%63%59.7%±4.653%
Body18%50%57%49.7%±6.83% ▼
T29%65%68%65.2%±5.844% ▲

Optimal v Marta Kostyuk: +0.8±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +5.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowMarie winsv MartaMatchupOptimal
Wide36%61%64%59.2%±5.536%
Body21%53%58%54.4%±7.16% ▼
T42%62%61%58.9%±5.258% ▲

Optimal v Marta Kostyuk: +0.3±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +1.2 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.

Marta Kostyuk returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MarieValue
FH through the middle41%+4.2+0.6+1.9+6.7±1.8
FH crosscourt19%+5.3+0.5−0.9+4.9±3.5
FH slice through the middle17%−6.7+1.4+3.0−2.3±2.2
FH down the line12%+1.5+4.8−0.3+6.0±4.0
FH slice crosscourt8%−6.6+0.9+2.0−3.7±2.7

Lean FH through the middle: +3.2±1.4 per 100 returns v the current mix (1346 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MarieValue
BH through the middle52%+6.0−0.2+1.9+7.7±1.8
BH crosscourt29%+7.7−2.1+0.9+6.5±2.9
BH down the line10%+2.2−1.1+2.8+3.9±4.4
BH slice through the middle4%−6.2−0.1+0.6−5.7±2.6
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.2−0.7−1.7−6.6±2.9

Lean BH through the middle: +2.1±1.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (969 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MarieValue
FH through the middle41%−3.2+1.5+1.7±0.0±2.7
FH crosscourt28%+0.5−1.0−1.2−1.7±4.1
FH down the line25%−0.6+0.7+0.8+0.9±5.1
FH slice through the middle4%−15.2+0.6±0.0−14.6±1.5
FH slice crosscourt2%−14.9+0.6±0.0−14.3±1.5

Lean FH down the line: +2.1±4.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (362 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MarieValue
BH through the middle46%−2.6−2.6+0.7−4.5±2.2
BH crosscourt30%+1.5−1.1+0.9+1.2±3.3
BH down the line19%−0.5+1.0+1.6+2.0±5.0
FH inside-out2%+1.4±0.0+0.8+2.2±3.8
FH through the middle1%−2.7−0.2+1.7−1.2±2.1

Lean BH down the line: +3.3±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (471 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Marie Bouzkova returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MartaValue
FH through the middle46%+4.2+1.8+0.7+6.7±2.0
FH crosscourt23%+5.3±0.0−3.9+1.5±3.5
FH down the line16%+1.5+2.7−2.7+1.5±4.0
FH slice through the middle10%−6.7+0.7−0.7−6.7±2.5
FH slice crosscourt2%−6.6+0.8−3.3−9.1±2.6

Lean FH through the middle: +4.1±1.5 per 100 returns v the current mix (715 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MartaValue
BH through the middle54%+6.0+2.7−0.2+8.6±1.9
BH crosscourt27%+7.7+1.5−1.5+7.7±3.0
BH down the line11%+2.2+0.2−2.8−0.5±4.2
BH slice through the middle5%−6.2−1.0−2.3−9.5±2.3
BH slice crosscourt3%−4.2−0.2−3.6−7.9±2.8

Lean BH through the middle: +2.8±1.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (437 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MartaValue
FH through the middle47%−3.2+2.2+0.3−0.6±2.5
FH crosscourt34%+0.5−2.4−2.3−4.1±3.8
FH down the line19%−0.6+0.2−2.4−2.8±4.6

Lean FH through the middle: +1.6±2.1 per 100 returns v the current mix (153 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv MartaValue
BH through the middle41%−2.6+2.6−0.1−0.1±2.3
BH crosscourt36%+1.5+0.7−2.8−0.7±3.2
BH down the line23%−0.5+2.6−1.3+0.8±5.1

Lean BH down the line: +0.9±4.2 per 100 returns v the current mix (308 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.

Marta Kostyuk

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · rally+5.6±3.1+1.7+3.9
FH slice to the middle · return+5.0±2.8+1.6+3.4
FH to the middle · return+4.7±2.7+1.2+3.5
BH to their forehand · return+4.3±5.4+3.6+0.8
BH to their forehand · rally+3.9±4.9−2.4+6.3
FH to the middle · serve +1+3.9±2.9+1.2+2.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to the middle · rally−4.5±3.0−2.5−2.0
BH to their forehand · return +1−2.9±6.1−0.9−2.0
BH slice to their forehand · rally−2.9±4.9−4.6+1.7
FH volley to their forehand · rally−1.5±7.8−0.7−0.8
BH to the middle · return−1.5±2.5−2.2+0.7

Marie Bouzkova

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH volley to their forehand · rally+6.7±7.9+6.1+0.6
BH to their backhand · serve +1+3.8±3.9+3.4+0.5
FH to the middle · rally+2.2±2.6+1.6+0.5
BH to the middle · return +1+1.4±2.9+1.5−0.1
BH to the middle · serve +1+1.2±2.8+2.4−1.2
FH to their backhand · return+0.8±4.8+1.6−0.8

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH slice to their forehand · rally−7.1±4.9−4.0−3.1
FH to their backhand · rally−5.5±3.8−2.4−3.1
BH slice to their backhand · rally−5.0±3.9−1.0−4.0
FH to their forehand · return +1−4.4±4.5−1.2−3.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1−4.2±4.3−2.6−1.6

Against Marie Bouzkova-like opponents

Marta Kostyuk vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–58.2%44.7%
Players most similar to Marie Bouzkova5 54.7%43.2%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens, Lin Zhu, Caroline Wozniacki, Alize Cornet, Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, Elena Dementieva. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.