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.
Iga Swiatek overcame Ons Jabeur, 6-2, 7-6(5), to win her first US Open title and her third major singles crown. We take a look at how she did it.
Relentless defense
In our preview “Jabeur’s attack vs. Swiatek’s steal,” we looked at how Swiatek’s defense would stack up vs the Jabeur attack. The result was another excellent defensive display from Swiatek.
Swiatek used her superior court coverage and defensive abilities to achieve a Steal Score of 43% (29/67), limiting Jabeur to a Conversion Score of 57% (38/67). This was outstanding, as Jabeur had averaged a Conversion Score of 69% heading into the final.
Steal Score calculates how often a player has won the point when defending (tournament average: 35%).
Conversion Score calculates how often a player has won the point when attacking (tournament average: 65%).
The Swiatek defense was a key to her success all championship. The world No. 1 achieved a US Open Steal Score average of 40% (130/321), five percentage points above the championship average.
Swiatek was also clinical when in attack, converting 65% (215/331) of points from attacking situations.
Why is this important?
At this year’s US Open, players with higher Conversion and Steal Scores have won 81% of matches.
Baseline dominance
Swiatek has used her powerful groundstrokes to significant effect. The Swiatek backhand has offered stability and precision, while her forehand has done the damage.
Swiatek groundstroke numbers (US Open average)
Forehand speed: 75 mph (71 mph)
Forehand spin: 2270 rpm (1931 rpm)
Backhands made in the court: 85% (83%)
Backhand spin: 1895 rpm (1298 rpm)
This superior combination of consistency, speed and spin led to Swiatek winning the majority of Baseline Battles: 54% (314/582) throughout her title run.
Baseline Battle calculates the percentage of points won for both players when they are at the baseline (tournament average: 50%).
Swiatek’s combination of clinical attacking, relentless defense and high-quality groundstrokes led her to the 2022 US Open title.
