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.
Maria Sakkari reached the semifinals for the second time in her career at a Grand Slam, after defeating Karolina Pliskova in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
The script was written for the big-serving Pliskova to dominate play and the athletic Sakkari to control the baseline.
However, Sakkari hadn’t read the script, winning 25 of 27 (93%) of first-serve points, the highest percentage of any women's match at this year's US Open.
The 5-foot-8 Sakkari averaged a first serve speed of 108 mph, 3 mph faster than her 6-foot-1 opponent.
As well as the speed, it was the accuracy of the Greek’s serve which was crucial in 50% of her first serves being unreturned, up 15% on her previous four rounds.
On the Ad-side, Sakkari relentlessly targeted the Pliskova forehand return, directing 86% of her serve down the "T."
The one part of the script Sakkari stuck to was her control of the baseline, winning 62% of the points. The most destructive shot was her backhand cross-court:
Sakkari backhand cross-court:
- Shots: 18
- Consistency: 100%
- Speed: 73 mph
Winners only tell you what happened at the end of the point. It is often the case that the crucial shot which gained the attacking advantage occurred early in the point.
Sakkari’s backhand crosscourt is an excellent example of this. There were no direct winners from this specific pattern; however, 33% were the crucial ball that forced Pliskova into defense, providing Sakkari the chance to finish the point.
This contributed to Sakkari winning 67% of points than included a crosscourt backhand exchange.
