WTA · Right-handed · 4 charted matches · 2017–2023
Kristina Kucova
Against an average opponent
Serve and return points won, refitted against every opponent at once so a record built on weak or strong opposition is put on the same scale. Career, all surfaces, with a 90% margin. Raw is the plain share of points won.
Shot expected value
The share of points Kristina Kucova goes on to win after each option in the positions they face most often, shrunk toward tour average when the sample is small. Showing the 8 most-used options; teal marks the best one with at least 30 shots.
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your middle
position worth 50% to the average player · 127 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 31% | 55.9%±10.5 | 52.7% |
| FH down the line | 19% | 55.6%±12.3 | 52.2% |
| BH through the middle | 17% | 43.4%±12.6 | 46.2% |
| FH through the middle | 15% | 41.4%±13.0 | 45.8% |
| BH down the line | 9% | 46.9%±14.5 | 50.0% |
| BH crosscourt | 8% | 47.3%±15.0 | 50.9% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side
position worth 45% to the average player · 100 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH through the middle | 49% | 50.2%±9.9 | 43.3% |
| BH crosscourt | 27% | 47.9%±12.0 | 47.6% |
| BH down the line | 16% | 48.2%±13.7 | 46.8% |
Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side
position worth 43% to the average player · 85 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 46% | 51.4%±10.7 | 46.7% |
| FH through the middle | 27% | 42.5%±12.4 | 41.3% |
| FH down the line | 15% | 57.5%±14.2 | 44.9% |
| FH slice through the middle | 12% | 32.8%±14.1 | 29.2% |
Return +1: drive to your middle
position worth 50% to the average player · 71 shots
| Option | Used | Win % | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| FH crosscourt | 34% | 60.2%±12.1 | 52.3% |
| FH through the middle | 21% | 49.4%±13.9 | 46.5% |
| FH down the line | 15% | 53.5%±14.7 | 53.0% |
Serve under pressure
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 37% | 45% ▲ | 64% / 66% |
| Body | 41% | 18% ▼ | 65% / 57% |
| T | 22% | 36% ▲ | 63% / 68% |
152 normal · 11 break-point 1st serves
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Break pt | Won when in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 30% | 48% ▲ | 66% / 66% |
| Body | 43% | 13% ▼ | 58% / 56% |
| T | 26% | 39% ▲ | 64% / 64% |
125 normal · 23 break-point 1st serves
Is the serve mix in equilibrium?
Game theory says a well-mixed server wins equally often with every direction they use. If one direction wins more, it's underused and points are being left behind. This is the minimax test Walker and Wooders ran on Wimbledon finals, applied to every charted first serve. Win rates include faults. "Optimal" allows for returners reading a habit. A direction loses 0.19 points per 100 serves for every 10 points of habitual usage, measured from WTA servers whose mix drifted between matches. Shifts stay within the range servers' habits actually vary, the only range that response was measured over.
Deuce court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 37% | 56.3%±8.6 n=61 |
| Body | 40% | 57.6%±8.3 n=65 |
| T | 23% | 50.3%±10.0 n=37 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.44).
Ad court
| 1st serve | Usage | Points won |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | 33% | 60.2%±9.1 n=49 |
| Body | 39% | 55.9%±8.8 n=57 |
| T | 28% | 58.5%±9.6 n=42 |
Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.76).
Return by serve direction
Return points won against each serve direction, compared with the tour average.
| Serve | Court | Direction | Points | Won | vs tour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ad court | Body | 34 | 55% | +11.1±10.2 | |
| 1st | Ad court | T | 22 | 32% | −3.5±10.6 | |
| 1st | Ad court | Wide | 63 | 37% | +2.5±8.2 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Body | 59 | 45% | +2.1±8.7 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | T | 48 | 37% | +4.6±9.0 | |
| 1st | Deuce court | Wide | 23 | 38% | +4.1±11.0 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Body | 27 | 61% | +5.5±10.6 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | T | 6 | 60% | +4.7±13.4 | |
| 2nd | Ad court | Wide | 15 | 56% | +2.2±12.2 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Body | 35 | 57% | +3.0±10.1 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | T | 7 | 56% | +0.2±13.4 | |
| 2nd | Deuce court | Wide | 10 | 58% | +4.1±12.8 |
Signature patterns
Recurring sequences that win more than Kristina Kucova's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.
Serve → +1
- Not enough data
Return
- Not enough data
Rally, consecutive own shots
- FH crosscourt → FH down the line used 8.7% · won 54% · +4.1±11.5 vs own baseline
- BH through the middle → BH through the middle used 8.3% · won 51% · +1.2±11.7 vs own baseline
Strengths and vulnerabilities
Value per 100 shots compared with the average player hitting (strengths) or facing (vulnerabilities) the same shot. Only shot types seen at least 120 times.
Hurts opponents most with
Most exposed to
| FH to their backhand · rally | ±0.0 | 139 |
Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Clara Burel, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Arianne Hartono, Angelique Kerber