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.
Alexander Zverev moved into the second round of the US Open by beating Sam Querrey in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2. After losing in the final at last year’s Open, he is looking to go one better this year to win his maiden Grand Slam title.
With both players using their first serve to dominate play, it was the second serve points where Zverev managed to gain the upper hand. The German won 61% of his second serve points compared to Querry’s 43%.
With most of the second serve points 39/61 (64%) finishing with the players exchanging groundstrokes, Zverev dominated, winning 57% of baseline battles.
The crosscourt backhand exchange is the most common pattern in men’s tennis, which was also true for this match. Zverev took control, winning 73% of points which included a crosscourt backhand exchange.
What happens after Zverev hits a backhand crosscourt?
- Zverev received a ball back crosscourt (48%)
- Querry missed the next shot (36%)
- The ball came back in the middle of the court for Zverev’s forehand (11%)
- Querry moved Zverev with a backhand down the line (5%)
Zverev used his backhand to pin Querry into the corner and force a predictable response from the American.
Why does Zverev’s backhand pin opponents into the corner?
Compared to US Open averages, his backhand is...
- Faster (74 mph v 71 mph)
- Flatter, which makes it skid off the court (1935 rpm v 1820 rpm)
- Lower over the net, which makes contact difficult (1.55 m v 1.64 m)
The faster, flatter, and lower bouncing shot makes it very challenging for players to change direction or move around to use their forehand.
