RallyIQ

Game plan

Pablo Andujar v Hugo Gaston

Every number combines what Pablo Andujar does well with what Hugo Gaston allows, each measured against the tour average and shrunk toward it when the sample is thin. Flip perspective

Forecast

Pablo Andujar wins, best of 3 39%90%: 10%–77% · best of 5: 37%
Serve points won 62.2% / 64.3% Pablo / Hugo · tour 65.7%
Strengths only, no similarity priors 43%serve 62.9% / 64.4%

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 At least one of them is no longer active or has too little charted in the last three seasons, so both are compared on their careers.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 Pablo Andujar's record against Hugo Gaston's tactical lookalikes and in their charted head-to-heads (lookalikes: −4.5 on serve, +0.6 on return vs expectation (529 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

CareerPabloHugo
Direction choice−0.07 ±0.20
better than 38%
−0.07 ±0.15
better than 39%
Shot selection+0.34 ±0.19
better than 83%
−0.41 ±0.24
better than 16%
Execution+0.04 ±0.76
better than 71%
−0.58 ±0.52
better than 42%
Points left on the table2.62 ±0.32
lower than 48%
3.11 ±0.27
lower than 15%

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.

Pablo Andujar serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowPablo winsv HugoMatchupOptimal
Wide42%68%68%63.6%±9.155% ▲
Body16%53%54%43.3%±13.83% ▼
T42%64%75%63.9%±9.742%

Optimal v Hugo Gaston: +0.9±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +3.5 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowPablo winsv HugoMatchupOptimal
Wide46%64%79%70.8%±8.759% ▲
Body23%64%60%61.5%±13.121% ▼
T31%57%73%58.8%±10.820% ▼

Optimal v Hugo Gaston: +0.1±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +5.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Hugo Gaston serving

Deuce court

1st serveNowHugo winsv PabloMatchupOptimal
Wide41%69%72%68.2%±9.454% ▲
Body16%66%63%65.9%±12.316%
T43%67%71%62.7%±9.530% ▼

Optimal v Pablo Andujar: +0.2±1.0 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving wide every time would read +2.8 per 100 first serves in before the returner adjusts.

Ad court

1st serveNowHugo winsv PabloMatchupOptimal
Wide67%72%73%71.7%±7.661% ▼
Body7%66%62%65.0%±14.90% ▼
T26%75%74%76.4%±10.139% ▲

Optimal v Pablo Andujar: +0.4±0.9 per 100 first serves (faults included) over the current mix, inside the 90% margin. Serving T every time would read +4.0 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.

Pablo Andujar returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
FH through the middle59%+4.3+1.4−1.9+3.8±3.0
FH crosscourt26%+5.5−0.7−1.0+3.8±4.4
FH down the line15%+1.7+2.8−3.4+1.1±4.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.4±3.8 per 100 returns v the current mix (168 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
BH through the middle47%+6.4+1.4+2.1+9.9±2.6
BH crosscourt32%+8.8+1.5−1.3+9.0±3.6
BH slice through the middle9%−4.2−0.4+0.6−4.0±2.2
BH down the line9%+4.2−0.8±0.0+3.4±4.3
BH slice crosscourt3%+0.5−0.3+1.5+1.7±2.3

Lean BH through the middle: +2.4±1.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (174 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
FH through the middle46%−3.5+0.8−0.5−3.2±2.8
FH crosscourt40%−0.2−0.2−1.6−2.0±4.2
FH down the line14%−1.8+0.5+1.3±0.0±3.9

Lean FH crosscourt: +0.3±2.9 per 100 returns v the current mix (50 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv HugoValue
BH crosscourt37%+1.0−0.2−0.5+0.3±3.3
BH through the middle37%−2.9+1.1−0.1−1.9±2.5
BH down the line12%−0.2+0.5+2.3+2.6±4.5
FH inside-in7%+0.6−3.2−1.6−4.3±3.9
FH inside-out6%+1.0+0.8+1.3+3.1±3.1

Lean BH down the line: +3.0±4.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (131 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

Hugo Gaston returning

1st serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
FH through the middle43%+4.3+0.5+0.3+5.1±2.9
FH crosscourt19%+5.5−4.2+2.5+3.9±4.3
FH slice through the middle17%−4.2−0.5±0.0−4.7±1.6
FH down the line16%+1.7−2.1+7.6+7.3±4.4
FH slice crosscourt5%−4.3−0.1±0.0−4.4±1.4

Lean FH down the line: +4.2±4.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (152 returns charted)

1st serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
BH through the middle39%+6.4−1.1−0.2+5.1±2.6
BH crosscourt34%+8.8−3.4+2.7+8.1±3.5
BH slice through the middle13%−4.2−1.4±0.0−5.6±1.7
BH down the line9%+4.2−1.4±0.0+2.8±4.3
BH slice crosscourt4%+0.5−1.4±0.0−0.8±1.4

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.8±2.6 per 100 returns v the current mix (180 returns charted)

2nd serve to the forehand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
FH through the middle44%−3.5+0.4+2.4−0.7±2.9
FH crosscourt37%−0.2+0.1+1.0+0.9±4.3
FH down the line13%−1.8−1.2+1.5−1.4±4.2
FH slice crosscourt6%−12.5±0.0±0.0−12.5±1.3

Lean FH crosscourt: +1.8±3.0 per 100 returns v the current mix (84 returns charted, inside the 90% margin)

2nd serve to the backhand

ReturnNowTourOwnv PabloValue
BH through the middle55%−2.9−1.4+0.9−3.4±2.6
BH crosscourt38%+1.0−0.8+3.0+3.3±2.9
BH down the line8%−0.2−1.0+1.1−0.2±4.2

Lean BH crosscourt: +3.9±2.3 per 100 returns v the current mix (80 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 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.

Pablo Andujar

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to the middle · return+4.3±2.9+2.1+2.2
FH to the middle · rally+2.8±2.4+2.9−0.1
BH to their forehand · rally+2.3±3.8+0.3+2.0
BH to the middle · rally+1.4±2.2+2.0−0.6
BH to their backhand · rally+0.1±2.6+0.9−0.7
FH to their forehand · serve +1−1.5±4.8+1.2−2.6

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · rally−5.8±3.8−0.7−5.1
FH to their forehand · rally−4.5±3.9−2.3−2.2
FH to their backhand · serve +1−1.6±3.4−0.5−1.1
FH to their backhand · return +1−1.6±4.0−1.0−0.5
FH to the middle · return−1.6±2.6+1.4−3.0

Hugo Gaston

Favour

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
FH to their backhand · rally+8.1±3.8+3.7+4.4
FH to their forehand · rally+4.6±3.3+2.5+2.0
FH to their forehand · serve +1+3.4±4.8+1.7+1.7
FH to the middle · rally+2.9±2.4+1.1+1.8
FH to their backhand · serve +1+2.0±3.6+1.8+0.1
BH to the middle · return+1.6±2.3−0.3+2.0

Avoid

ShotEdgeOwnTheirs
BH to their backhand · rally−1.3±2.6−3.3+2.1
BH to their forehand · rally−1.2±4.1−0.5−0.7
FH to their backhand · return +1−0.7±4.1+1.4−2.1
FH to their backhand · return−0.2±4.1−2.7+2.6
BH to the middle · rally+0.3±2.1−1.1+1.4

Against Hugo Gaston-like opponents

Pablo Andujar vMatchesServe pts wonReturn pts won
All charted opponents–53.5%36.7%
Players most similar to Hugo Gaston2 56.2%37.9%

Similar by tactical fingerprint: Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Bublik, Luciano Darderi, Pedro Martinez, Yannick Hanfmann, Mattia Bellucci, Benoit Paire, Marco Cecchinato, Gustavo Kuerten, Gaston Gaudio. When two players have rarely met, their records against these lookalikes fill the gap.