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.
Leylah Fernandez looked like she had played on Arthur Ashe Stadium all her life as she defeated reigning champion Naomi Osaka 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.
We analyzed Fernandez’s serve to uncover the secret of her incredible stats.
Fernandez’s first serve numbers (US Open average)
Consistency: 78% (64%)
Points won: 80% (66%)
Unreturned serves 44% (30%)
How does a player with a 97 mph average first serve win that many points and create that many missed returns?
The data below shows the difference when Fernandez served to the forehand vs. backhand of Osaka.
Serving to the Osaka Forehand
Average Speed: 101 mph
Contact height of return: 1.07 m
Serving to the Osaka Backhand
Average Speed of serve: 91 mph
Contact height of the return: 1.18 m
What does this mean?
When serving to the Osaka forehand, Fernandez served with more pace, making the ball skid and stay lower, which causes a problem for tall players like Osaka.
When Fernandez served to the Osaka backhand, she reduced the pace, preferring to use her left-handed slice to swing the ball away.
Using this serve variation caused issues for Osaka's rhythm all match and was crucial for Fernandez winning 16/17 service games.
