Match Stats/Report - Korda vs Rios, Australian Open final, 1998

[Waspsting]

Petr Korda beat Marcelo Rios 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in the Australian Open final, 1998 on hard court

It would turn out be be Korda’s only Slam title. Previously, he’d lost the French Open final to Jim Courier in 1992. It would be Rios’ only Slam final but he would win Indian Wells and Miami shortly after and in doing so, reach #1 ranking

Korda won 90 points, Rios 58

Serve Stats
Korda...
- 1st serve percentage (40/77) 52%
- 1st serve points won (32/40) 80%
- 2nd serve points won (20/37) 54%
- Aces 4 (1 second serve), Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (22/77) 29%

Rios...
- 1st serve percentage (41/71) 58%
- 1st serve points won (24/41) 59%
- 2nd serve points won (9/30) 30%
- Aces 2
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (19/71) 27%

Serve Patterns
Korda served...
- to FH 44%
- to BH 42%
- to Body 14%

Rios served...
- to FH 40%
- to BH 54%
- to Body 6%

Return Stats
Korda made...
- 48 (21 FH, 27 BH), including 3 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 3 Winners (1 FH, 2 BH)
- 17 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (5 FH, 2 BH)
- 10 Forced (5 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (48/67) 72%

Rios made...
- 51 (28 FH, 23 BH), including 2 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 17 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (1 FH, 3 BH)
- 13 Forced (8 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (51/73) 70%

Break Points
Korda 7/12 (7 games)
Rios 1/6 (4 games)

Winners (excluding serves, including returns)
Korda 23 (15 FH, 6 BH, 2 FHV)
Rios 5 (4 FH, 1 BH)

Korda's FHs - 7 cc (1 pass, 1 at net), 2 dtl (1 return), 1 dtl/inside-out, 3 inside-out, 1 inside-in/cc
- BHs - 3 cc, 2 dtl (1 return pass) and 1 inside-in return

- 1 FHV was a swinging inside-out, non-net shot

Rios' FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 dtl, 1 inside-out at net, 1 longline
- BH return - 1 dtl

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Korda 30
- 20 Unforced (12 FH, 6 BH, 2 FHV)... with 1 FH at net
- 10 Forced (2 FH, 4 BH, 3 FHV, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 53.5

Rios 41
- 28 Unforced (12 FH, 16 BH)
- 13 Forced (11 FH, 1 BH, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 49.6

(Note 1: all half-volleys refer to such shots played at net. Half -volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke counts)

(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Korda was...
- 8/15 (53%) at net, including...
- 1/2 serve-volleying, both 2nd serves
---
- 1/1 return-approaching

Rios was...
- 6/9 (67%) at net, including...
- 3/4 (75%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
---
- 1/1 return-approaching

Match Report
Very poor showing from Rios takes the limelight away from a very good, shot-making display from Korda on a fast court

23 winners, forcing 13 errors for 20 UEs from Korda would be match winning numbers for almost any baseline match. More match winning than 5 winners, forcing 10 errors for 28 UEs are match losing from Rios? Probably not - but Korda’s excellent showing is to be noted

Match is all baseline, with negligible net play (2 players combine for 24 approaches in 148 points)

Korda’s flurry of winners are a product of shot making much more than point construction
Rios’ flurry of UEs are a combo of everything - attacking/shot-making fail, pressured errors, sloppy errors… there’s not a thing he does well, including movement and serve

To Korda’s credit, he sets the tone early. Starts the match with a pair of cc winners, 1 of each wing. Follows up by missing an easy FH at net and a third ball FH winner attempt. Carries on in same vein before there’s time for Rios to play badly. Its one thing to go for winners from all over the place when one is up breaks and/or sets (or for that matter, when one is down and has nothing to lose), its another to do it when things are on serve. Though Korda’s up virtually all match - he breaks for 3-1 in the first set, then again for 4-2 - worth noting is that he does lead with shot-making literally from point 1

He’s not in undue hurry to go for winners. Rallies ‘neutrally’ before going for and usually making the kill shot

‘Neutral’ with an apostrophe because such dynamic doesn’t last long, but Korda’s play is exemplary (or would be but for Rios’ poorness limiting its scope). No weak shots, no short balls, clean striking, nothing Rios can readily get stuck into. More than that in fact - his hitting is clean and deep enough to be pressuring and encourage Rios to make ‘unforced’ errors or give up the weak ball

Rios gives up the error more often than weak ball. 28 UEs to be precise. UEs by wing -
- Rios BH 16
- both FHs 12 (including 1 Korda net shot)
- Korda BH 6

… and type (excluding Korda’s 2 volleys) -

- Neutral - Korda 5, Rios 11
- Attacking Korda 3, Rios 7
- Winner Attempts - Korda 12, Rios 10

Very low neutral UEs from Korda, especially in light of how impressive his hitting is even when in that gear. Rios poor almost as much for shot tolerance issues as consistency. He’s up against a fine display, but looks simply outmatched like a qualifier rather than finalist and soon to be #1. He doesn’t give up outright weak balls though

Rios goes for his fair share of attacking shots and winners from near routine positions. For him, neither unusual nor a bad idea. Proves a dud though

Rios forcing 3 ground-to-ground errors for 7 attacking UEs (he also forces 3 passing errors) - poor
Rios with 5 winners (including a pass, a shot at net and a return) for 10 winner attempt UEs - very poor

Winner attempt misses include going for shots from near routine positions and balls there for the shot. Just plain terrible in all areas from him

And Korda? From very sound base of limited neutral play, forces 12 ground errors (some are passes) for just 3 attacking UEs and 21 winners for 10 winner attempt UEs (both figures excluding volleys)

1 way Rios does allow Korda to shine is by not giving up weak balls in rallies (he does worse and gives up errors instead). That means Korda’s winners are mostly great shots from near routine positions, not easy ones set up by outplaying opponent. 10 winner attempt UEs isn’t low, but for the types of balls he goes for, excellent. Little strong serve drawing weak return + third ball easy aggressive shot involved as well - its all about the shot-making

8 cc winners (5 FH, 3 BH) is particularly impressive in the shot-making more than point construction nature of Korda’s aggressive play. The most difficult direction to hit clean winners, but he does it off both wings all match. FHs the go-to and has 15 winners, but BHs no hold-the-fort shot with 6 either - same number as UEs

 

[Waspsting]

Korda with the better serve too in that he gets them more damagingly wide

Aces/Service Winners - Korda 5, Rios 2
Return errors forced - Korda 13, Rios 10
Return UEs - Korda 7, Rios 4

… with some of Korda’s UEs being against regulation first serves (i.e. relatively not easy for UEs). Its quick enough court that serve can be major weapon and neither player serves particularly well. Korda has low in count of 52% and Rios regularly serves in swing zone as his low ace count hints at. Some surprise, big second serves from Korda, on which he has an ace and both is serve-volleys are behind second serves

Some nice, attackingly wide returning from Korda too. He's got 3 return winners - 2 of them with Rios on baseline. Rios tries a bit and fails as he does with everything else in match

Second set is as one sided as everything else but a bigger indicator of Korda’s superiority than other because he makes just 7/21 first serves in it, to Rios’ 16/22

Still 6-2 - like the other 2 sets

Match Progression
Korda signals his intentions from first point of the match, ending it with a BH cc winner from normal position. Follows up with a FH cc winner. Then misses an easy FH at net and a third ball FH inside-out winner attempt and then double faults to be down break point

Break point for Rios in opening game is a good start for him. Turns out to be the only time in the whole match he’s ahead. Korda goes on to hold with strong serves, finishing game with an ace

Players trade breaks starting 2-1. Another pair of twin cc winners from Korda and Rios misses a FH winner attempt on break point that was there for the shot in first game. Korda missing his winner attempts the game after to be broken back

Then comes the match changer - a horrendous game from Rios to be broken to love. He’s broken a third time to end the set, a long competitive and not bad game from him, though he double faults on break point

So far, not too bad from Rios. He’s not been aggressive and pretty sloppy for relatively bland play. To be more aggressive, he’d have to strike early because Korda’s been going for his shots sooner rather than later. Korda’s served more damagingly and gone in for shot-making tennis, making more than he misses. More a good set from him than a bad one from Rios

Set 2 is different, Korda winning easily though serving at 33% to Rios’ 73%

Lots of sloppiness from Rios, who just doesn’t look capable of trading groundies with his opponent without giving up errors (pressured or otherwise). He’s regularly rushed amidst normal rallies as opposed to Korda who doesn’t have excess time but at least isn’t hurried

Still a few great shots out of the blue from Korda and he adds damagingly wide returns to his already impressive display. 2 sets to love in quick time and on to set 3

This is the sloppiest set of match, with even Korda joining in considerably, despite his in-count going back up to normal level. Rios meanwhile adds a coat of ‘couldn’t-care-less’ casualness to his already sloppy showing

After breaking for 3-0, Korda faces break points in his next 2 service games (1 in 8 point game, 2 in 12 point one). Sticks them out for holds and breaks again to finish, ending with a FH cc passing winner

Summing up, good - potentially, very good - showing from Korda + a poor one from Rios = a very one sided match

Positive highlight is Korda’s shot-making, especially but not exclusively off the FH stands. While hitting cleanly and giving little away neutrally (both in terms of errors or balls that can be readily attacked), he finishes points with ground winners from near routine positions and against anything imperfect (as opposed to weak), making considerably more than he misses playing so. Also some good wide stuff both serving and returning

More than that though, an all out poor showing from Rios who doesn’t do anything well. Serve is not damaging, return is so-so in line with however opponent serves and is terrible off the ground in all ways - out-hit and manuvered from back to mismatch extent unjustifed by Korda’s strong showing, sloppy with the errors and a dud attacking

Rios’ showing takes the eye, but Korda showing is a commendable good, aggressive one too