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.
Dalma Galfi, a former junior US Open winner in 2015, booked her place in her first-ever Grand Slam main draw by defeating Monica Niculescu, 6-1, 6-3, in the final round of women's qualifying on Friday.
The Hungarian put on a serving masterclass on Court 12, holding in all eight of her service games, and hit12 aces. Galfi’s serve has been the highlight of her qualifying campaign, which saw her win 28 out of 30 service games in three victories.
What makes the first serve of Galfi such a weapon?
Consistency Speed Aces
Galfi vs. Niculescu 74% 103mph 28%
Us Open Average 64% 98mph 9%
Galfi uses her athleticism to great effect by creating a contact height of 2.76m, which is 10cm higher than the average for a female player at the US Open.
What makes a great serve?
Great servers gain the initiative at the start of the point by forcing the returner into a defensive situation. This is often created by a high-speed serve or accuracy which results in the returner having to stretch and be off-balance.
By analyzing the data, we know that a player’s first serve will cause their opponent to be on defense on 34% of returns. However, through a deadly combination of serving speed and accuracy, Galfi forced Niculescu on defense on 58% offirst-serve returns.
Having control of the point this early allowed Galfi to dominate play in her service games.
