RallyIQ

WTA · Left-handed · 7 charted matches · 2023–2025

Noma Noha Akugue

Against an average opponent

Serve points won 57.9% ±3.9 raw 58.8% · tour 56.3% · 449 points
Return points won 43.3% ±3.9 raw 43.7% · tour 43.7% · 465 points

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.

Value per 100 shots

Direction choice −0.31 ±0.15 better than 5% of WTA · raw −0.28
Shot selection +0.28 ±0.17 better than 76% of WTA · raw +0.36
Execution −2.97 ±0.60 better than 1% of WTA · raw −2.41

Points gained per 100 shots compared with an average tour player in the same position, adjusted for the strength of the opponents faced, with a 90% margin (shots clustered by match). Raw is before the opponent adjustment. Built on 2,440 shots.

Shot expected value

The share of points Noma Noha Akugue 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 · 150 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH crosscourt 39% 48.1%±9.3 52.7%
FH through the middle 24% 44.9%±10.9 45.8%
FH down the line 15% 48.7%±12.7 52.2%
BH through the middle 12% 50.6%±13.3 46.2%
BH crosscourt 7% 43.9%±14.9 50.9%

Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your backhand side

position worth 45% to the average player · 106 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
BH crosscourt 42% 54.6%±10.2 47.6%
BH through the middle 34% 47.6%±11.0 43.3%

Rally, shots 5–8: drive to your forehand side

position worth 43% to the average player · 96 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
FH crosscourt 52% 39.1%±9.6 46.7%
FH through the middle 28% 36.7%±11.6 41.3%
FH down the line 14% 42.4%±14.1 44.9%

Return +1: drive to your backhand side

position worth 44% to the average player · 66 shots

OptionUsedWin %Tour
BH crosscourt 42% 38.7%±11.6 47.8%
BH through the middle 39% 44.8%±12.1 43.0%

Serve under pressure

Pressure predictability index +11 How much less varied Noma Noha Akugue's first-serve direction gets on break points. Positive means easier to read. Based on 49 break-point first serves.

Deuce court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 37% 13% ▼ 67% / 66%
Body 32% 13% ▼ 59% / 57%
T 30% 75% ▲ 70% / 68%

222 normal · 8 break-point 1st serves

Ad court

1st serveUsageBreak ptWon when in
Wide 38% 51% ▲ 70% / 66%
Body 32% 29% 61% / 56%
T 30% 20% ▼ 70% / 64%

174 normal · 41 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 serveUsagePoints wonOptimal
Wide37% 55.3%±7.7 n=84 37%
Body32% 54.8%±8.1 n=73 17% ▼
T32% 56.9%±8.0 n=73 46% ▲

Consistent with an optimal mix (p = 0.92).
Optimal mix: +0.7 per 100 first serves.

Ad court

1st serveUsagePoints wonOptimal
Wide40% 61.1%±7.4 n=87 40%
Body31% 55.2%±8.3 n=67 16% ▼
T28% 70.0%±7.9 n=61 44% ▲

Off equilibrium (p = 0.027): serve T more. Gap 8.3 points per 100 first serves.
Optimal mix: +1.1 per 100 first serves.

Exploitability 0.87 points per 100 first serves What the optimal mix would win over the current one, both courts. More exploitable than 100% of WTA servers. Tested on matches they weren't fitted on, WTA mixes picked this way win 0.42 per 100 first serves on average.

Repeating the previous direction to the same court: −4.0±8.2 points per 100 against switching. Negative means returners read repeats. Tour-wide, repeating costs women about 0.4 points per 100 and costs men nothing, so men's returners don't measurably anticipate direction. (128 repeats, 303 switches.)

Return by serve direction

Return points won against each serve direction, compared with the tour average.

ServeCourtDirectionPointsWonvs tour
1stAd courtBody 27 42% −1.5±10.8
1stAd courtT 64 33% −2.9±8.0
1stAd courtWide 43 32% −2.5±9.0
1stDeuce courtBody 40 40% −2.9±9.6
1stDeuce courtT 41 36% +4.0±9.4
1stDeuce courtWide 74 35% +0.8±7.7
2ndAd courtBody 37 50% −5.0±10.0
2ndAd courtT 38 54% −1.3±9.9
2ndAd courtWide 14 62% +8.0±12.1
2ndDeuce courtBody 34 57% +2.3±10.2
2ndDeuce courtT 8 60% +4.0±13.1
2ndDeuce courtWide 45 59% +5.1±9.3

Signature patterns

Recurring sequences that win more than Noma Noha Akugue's own baseline, ranked by edge weighted by how often they're used.

Serve → +1

  1. Wide serve (ad court) → FH crosscourt used 8.4% · won 64% · −2.5±11.3 vs own baseline
  2. Body serve (ad court) → FH crosscourt used 9.7% · won 64% · −2.3±10.9 vs own baseline
  3. Body serve (deuce court) → FH crosscourt used 12.7% · won 53% · −13.1±10.4 vs own baseline

Return

  1. vs wide serve (deuce court) → BH crosscourt, mid used 17.5% · won 46% · −0.4±11.2 vs own baseline

Rally, consecutive own shots

  1. FH crosscourt → FH through the middle used 9.5% · won 56% · +5.6±10.2 vs own baseline
  2. BH through the middle → FH crosscourt used 5.8% · won 54% · +4.0±11.7 vs own baseline
  3. FH through the middle → BH crosscourt used 5.8% · won 54% · +4.0±11.7 vs own baseline
  4. FH through the middle → FH crosscourt used 8.4% · won 53% · +2.5±10.7 vs own baseline
  5. FH crosscourt → BH crosscourt used 6.6% · won 49% · −0.9±11.4 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

BH to the middle · return−1.5144
FH to their backhand · rally−2.7244

Most exposed to

FH to their backhand · rally+2.4138

Active players who are best at the shot in the top weakness: Clara Burel, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Arianne Hartono, Angelique Kerber

Charted matches