There are many ways to win a tennis match. During this year’s US Open, USOpen.org will be playing a numbers game, digging deeper into the statistical analysis of select matches to provide highlights, further insights and data points on player performance.
New Yorker Jamie Loeb–a former NCAA champion who honed her game under the tutelage of John McEnroe as a child–is one match away from the US Open main draw for the first time in six years thanks in part to brilliance from the backhand side.
Eleven of Loeb’s winners in Thursday’s 6-3- 6-4 win over No. 16 qualifying seed Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany came from her backhand. A tennis player’s dream is a consistent, fast shot that produces winners with minimal errors, and that is undoubtedly what Loeb’s two-handed stroke delivered today.
What makes a great shot?
To fully understand how effective Loeb’s backhand was today, we analyzed its impact on her opponent.
The table below shows the percentage of time Loeb’s backhand was either a winner or forced her opponent into a defensive situation.
- Loeb backhand: 36%
- US Open average backhand: 21%
Over a third of Loeb’s backhands increased her chances of winning the point, underlining its impact on the outcome of the match. Loeb’s most destructive tactic today was her backhand down the line:
- Number of backhands down the line: 9
- Number of times the opponent was forced into defense: 6 (66%)
- Number of points won: 8 (89%)
To say that Loeb’s backhand was her only strength would be doing her a disservice as she was incredibly clinical, winning 92% of points when she was in an attacking situation.
