Match Stats/Report - Edberg vs Cash, Queen's Club quarter-final, 1992

Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Stefan Edberg beat Pat Cash 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Queen's Club quarter-final, 1992 on grass

Edberg was the defending champion and would go onto lose in the semis to Shuzo Matsuoka. Cash was a wild card, ranked 214 at the time and would finish the year with a 5-4 win loss record

Edberg won 119 points, Cash 109

Both players serve-volleyed off all serves

Serve Stats
Edberg...
- 1st serve percentage (64/112) 57%
- 1st serve points won (47/64) 73%
- 2nd serve points won (31/48) 65%
- Aces 6 (1 second serve), Service Winners 2 (1 bad bounce related)
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (31/112) 28%

Cash...
- 1st serve percentage (70/116) 60%
- 1st serve points won (46/70) 66%
- 2nd serve points won (29/46) 63%
- Aces 10, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (44/116) 38%

Serve Patterns
Edberg served...
- to FH 28%
- to BH 58%
- to Body 14%

Cash served...
- to FH 40%
- to BH 49%
- to Body 11%

Return Stats
Edberg made...
- 71 (28 FH, 43 BH), including 7 return-approaches
- 9 Winners (5 FH, 4 BH)
- 33 Errors, all forced...
- 33 Forced (15 FH, 18 BH), including 1 return-approach attempt
- Return Rate (71/115) 62%

Cash made...
- 77 (25 FH, 52 BH)
- 14 Winners (2 FH, 12 BH)
- 23 Errors, all forced...
- 23 Forced (7 FH, 16 BH)
- Return Rate (77/108) 71%

Break Points
Edberg 2/4 (3 games)
Cash 1/4 (3 games)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Edberg 47 (11 FH, 7 BH, 11 FHV, 9 BHV, 8 OH, 1 BHOH)
Cash 36 (5 FH, 15 BH, 9 FHV, 3 BHV, 3 OH, 1 BHOH)

Edberg had 27 from serve-volley points
- 15 first volleys (9 FHV, 5 BHV, 1 OH)
- 9 second 'volleys' (2 FHV, 3 BHV, 3 OH, 1 BH at net)... 1 OH on bounce
- 3 third 'volleys' (2 OH, 1 BHOH)... 1 OH on bounce from no-man's land, a forced back point

- 2 from return-approach points (1 BHV, 1 OH)
- 1 other OH was a baseline shot on the bounce

- 9 returns (5 FH, 4 BH), all passes
- FHs - 1 cc, 3 dtl and 1 inside-out
- BHs - 2 cc and 2 inside-in

- FHs (all passes) - 1 cc, 2 inside-out (Cash slipped/was on the floor for both), 1 longline and 1 lob
- BHs (all passes) - 1 cc (Cash slipped/was falling on it), 1 inside-out/dtl and 1 lob

Cash had 17 from serve-volley points
- 7 first 'volleys' (4 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 FH at net, 1 BH at net)... 1 FHV can reasonably be called an OH
- 6 second volleys (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 3 OH)
- 4 third volleys (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 BHOH)

- 14 returns (2 FH, 12 BH), all passes
- FHs - 1 dtl and 1 inside-in
- BHs - 2 cc, 4 dtl, 3 inside-out and 3 inside-in

- FH (all passes) - 2 lobs
- BHs (all passes) - 1 dtl and 1 lob

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Edberg 25
- 7 Unforced (1 BH, 3 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 OH)... with 1 BH at net
- 18 Forced (6 FH, 8 BH, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)... with 1 FH running-down-drop-volley at net & 1 BH at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 54.3

Cash 40
- 9 Unforced (1 FH, 3 FHV, 4 BHV, 1 BHOH)... with 1 FH at net
- 31 Forced (10 FH, 8 BH, 4 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 8 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 55.6

(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)

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

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Edberg was...
- 74/109 (68%) at net, including...
- 70/100 (70%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 40/57 (70%) off 1st serve and...
- 30/43 (70%) off 2nd serve
---
- 4/7 (57%) return-approaching
- 2/5 (40%) forced back

Cash was...
- 67/110 (61%) at net, including...
- 64/104 (62%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 35/59 (59%) off 1st serve and...
- 29/45 (64%)off 2nd serve
---
- 0/2 forced back/retreated

Match Report
A fine, very close, all out serve-volley match with the emphasis on the return and the volley. Cash is significantly stronger on the former and maybe a touch weaker on the latter due to slow movements and on the whole, has better of play. Like many 'Big Game' matches, differences in two players showings don't amount to enough to actually gaining breaks and result comes down to a small number of points. 1 game in the third sees it falls Edberg's way

Closeness of match can bee see in break point numbers - Edberg 2/4, Cash 1/4 with both having them in 3 games
Points served is near same - Edberg 112, Cash 116, despite Cash serving a mammoth 22 point game (Edberg serves the extra game)

Match is readily dividable into two between the first two sets (where Cash's superiority is small abut noticeable) and the third set (where Edberg gains ascendancy)

Note Cash with higher unreturned rate (38% to 28%) and leading return winners (14 to 9). He also has just 1 double fault to Edberg's 4 and outaces him 10-6
On volley winners + groundstroke errors forced (in other words, passing errors), Edberg leads 47-29 (excluding a BH at net FE by Cash that was a serve-volley point)... this roughly cancels out what's going on in serve-return complex

'Volleying' UEs are near even - Edberg has 7 in forecourt, Cash 9
'Volleying' FEs is where a significant and uncompensated difference shows up - Edberg has 5, Cash 13

The key to this is movement.
Cash is slow to cover wide volleys and to a lesser degree, get down to low ones. 3 times he's either flat on his stomach or about to be as an Edberg pass goes by. Edberg by contrast, characteristically glides and floats to wherever the ball is

Serve & Return
Neither player has an overly strong serve, which is what allows the match to be centered on volleys. Both players mainly use the serve to get up to net and come ready to volley (i.e. they're not counting on service winners or hard forced return errors). Cash is more more willing to go for the ace out wide on occasion, and regularly pulls it off - often on critical points, but Edberg's is more powerful

In this light, Cash coming off better on return is a big win for him. He's banging down return winners all match - a full 14 of them, 12 of them BHs. And every which way - of the BH, he has 2 cc, 4 dtl and 3 each inside-out and inside-in. The winning returns are more about wide placement than power. Edberg errs in continuing to serve there. He only serves 28% to FH. Body and body-ish serving doesn't save him from the regular Beautifully elegant returning from Cash

Winners aside, Cash isn't too powerful with regulation returns down the middle or in keeping them low. Edberg deals comfortably with mostly above net balls. And when rushed, he leans on just putting the ball in play high over net instead of going for a big shot, which gives Edberg easy putaway volleys
Lots of wrong footing first volley winners from Edberg, both cc and longline, punched through so that they don't have to be too far from Cash to go untouched

For a couple of sets, Edberg doesn't return too well. Though Cash's serve is weaker than his own, he doesn't go for many wide returns (and usually misses when he does) and generally returns down the middle without great power or getting them low. Essentially, he tests Cash on the regulation volley and Cash is up to it

Edberg's best returns are lightly looped balls that sink low-ish (helped by Cash not getting forward quickly). Even low-ish, they're more makeable than not at that pace. Edberg's attacking return are the chip-charge, which pressures Cash but even with those, he wins just 2/5

That changes in third, when Edberg starts returning with aggressive width. 4/9 return winners come in that set and gives Cash tougher first volleys. Cash's serving remains as it has been - if anything, it gets better as he's moved to go for more aces - improvement in Edberg's return makes for the difference. What he does in third set was just as do-able prior to it

Overall, Cash with significant advantage on serve-return complex, which brings us to...
 
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Waspsting

Hall of Fame
Play - Volley & Pass
Edberg is clearly the more decisive volleyer. Balls above net are putaway, put in a corner and/or punched so firmly that they don't have to be far (though they usually are) from Cash to finish points

7 UEs is well within acceptable range for good play. The OH one does come at terrible time set point down. Very low 4 FEs is more key... he doesn't face a lot of tough volleys, but almost always make them when he does. And so easily of look, you wouldn't know they were tough volleys at a glance. Towards end, Cash starts whacking returns down the middle harder than previously and Edberg is flawless in controlling the volleys

just 4 passing winners in play from Cash (as opposed to 14 returns). If Edberg can reach a volley, he doesn't leave much shot for a pass. Cash does lob well though, usually sliced shots on the run. 3 winners and forcing Edberg back from net 5 times. If there's an area where Edberg's movements are less than great, its on the OH. Around this period, he had problems getting up for the smash and it shows

The consistency of Cash's volleying is more impressive than the finishing. Edberg tests him not too hard on the regulation, net-high volley down the middle. He doesn't miss much but neither does he kill of such points. Edberg is left with reasonable shots on the pass not infrequently. Cash also isn't particularly quick in covering the net on the second volley. No discredit to Edberg for not making more passes, just a note that it was possible... I'd say he passed superbly if he'd made more

Cash's 9 UEs is about the hardest lot of UEs you'll see. Balls dropping low-ish slowly... a good ways harder than regulation above net balls. The 13 FEs by contrast are comparitively mild. Slightly wide, powerful balls trouble him unduly. His problems on the volley are largely based on slow movement, especially getting forward and to a lesser extent, getting down


Match Progression

Cash is the more consistent volleyer in first set, while Edberg snaps his away while missing the odd one

Some beautiful, wide return winners from Cash, some beautiful stretch BH slice lobs. An exisquisite point all around when he makes a first FH1/2V against a chip-charging Edberg, lob BHVs Edberg's FH1/2V rejoinder and forces him back and finishes with a BHOH on the third volley

Edberg has to save 2 break points in game 3 after a Cash return winner and 2 BHV UEs (the second not too easy). Awhile later, he has to save another one after Cash forces him back, comes in and FHVs a winner and then sweeps away a BH inside-out return winner

Dramatic tiebreak. Cash hits back to back passing winners to move ahead 3-2. Then misses 2 slow, low-ish BHVs that he tries to inside-out (both marked UEs). Edberg has the first 2 set points. On first, his volley catches the top of the net and slows down, allowing Cash to go for the pass from comfortable position. Would still favour Edberg to win the point at that stage, but Cash pulls of a FH lob winner. On his second set point, Edberg goes for and misses a BH dtl return winner against first serve

Cash converts his 1st set point when Edberg mistimes his leap and hits a first OH long

Edberg breaks early in second set with strong play and continues to hold, despite the odd Cash return winner. Cash finally breaks back in game 8 in a stunning game where he hits 4 BH winners - 3 returns (inside-in, inside-out and dtl) and a lob

In tiebreak, Edberg takes successive Cash serve points with winners to go up 4-1 and nurses it to end

Edberg finally dominates the third set. He takes to returning wide like Cash and reaps the rewards. There's a 22 point game where Cash holds that has 12 winners (5 from Cash, 7 from Edberg), plus 3 aces, 1 service winner and 3 forced volleying errors among other unreturned serves and passing errors... its a highlights reel all by itself. In the pair's '87 Australian Open final, there had been a 28 point game

The break is a bit disappointing. Edberg opens with 2 winners, then Cash misses regulation FHV and makes a poor BHOH UE to lose at love

Good last game as Edberg serves it out. Cash pounds returns hard, but Edberg deftly handles the volleys, finishing with a second volley FHV winner

Summing up, good competitive serve-volleying match. Cash returns beautifully, steps up on serve when needed while Edberg is on whole average on first two shots. On the volley though, Edberg leaves Cash with little chance on the pass, while Cash volleys solidly but sub-par movement hinders him

Its nice to see an old champion like Cash, who was apparently in no kind of form at all and finished year with 5-4 win/loss record, play so well

Stats for pair's '87 Australian Open final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...rg-vs-cash-australian-open-final-1987.677482/
 
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