Stefan Edberg beat Mats Wilander 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-final, 1990 on hard court
Edberg would go onto lose in the final to Ivan Lendl. This was Wilander's last Slam semi and the only one he made in 17 appearances post 1988. This was the 4th meeting between the pair at the event - Wilander won in '84 on grass and '88, Edberg had won in the '85 final on grass
Edberg won 83 points, Wilander 44
Edberg serve-volleyed off all serves
Serve Stats
Edberg...
- 1st serve percentage (44/57) 77%
- 1st serve points won (36/44) 82%
- 2nd serve points won (9/13) 69%
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (16/57) 28%
Wilander...
- 1st serve percentage (45/70) 64%
- 1st serve points won (24/45) 53%
- 2nd serve points won (8/25) 32%
- Aces 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (11/70) 16%
Serve Patterns
Edberg served...
- to FH 35%
- to BH 42%
- to Body 24%
Wilander served...
- to FH 37%
- to BH 50%
- to Body 13%
Return Stats
Edberg made...
- 59 (30 FH, 29 BH), including 3 runaround FHs, 6 return-approaches & 1 drop-return
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 3 Unforced (1 FH, 2 BH), all return-approach attempts
- 5 Forced (1 FH, 4 BH)
- Return Rate (59/70) 84%
Wilander made...
- 39 (13 FH, 26 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 16 Errors, all forced...
- 16 Forced (8 FH, 8 BH)
- Return Rate (39/55) 71%
Break Points
Edberg 7/13 (8 games)
Wilander 0
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Edberg 45 (3 FH, 3 BH, 9 FHV, 23 BHV, 7 OH)
Wilander 8 (3 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV)
Edberg had 24 from serve-volley points
- 16 first volleys (3 FHV, 11 BHV, 2 OH)
- 7 second volleys (1 FHV, 3 BHV, 3 OH)
- 1 third volley (1 FHV)
- 2 from return-approach points (2 BHV)
- FHs - 1 cc pass and 2 dtl (1 return, 1 pass)
- BHs (all passes) - 2 cc and 1 dtl
Wilander's FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 inside-out and 1 inside-in
- BHs (all passes) - 2 dtl (1 return) and 2 inside-out
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Edberg 23
- 13 Unforced (6 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 10 Forced (1 FH, 2 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 45.4
Wilander 22
- 10 Unforced (5 FH, 3 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 12 Forced (4 FH, 6 BH, 1 BHV, 1 BHOH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43
(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...
- 65/79 (82%) at net, including...
- 45/55 (82%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 36/44 (82%) off 1st serve and...
- 9/11 (82%) off 2nd serve
---
- 5/6 (82%) return-approaching
Wilander was...
- 8/18 (44%) at net, including...
- 5/6 (83%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
Match Report
Not just one-sided, but briskly so. Wilander looks like he's giving Edberg putaway volleying practice and Edberg looks like he's giving a lesson in putaway volleying. Like a couple where one person loves to cook and the other loves to eat
Some background. After a stellar 1988 where he won 3 Slams and finished number 1, Wilander fell off a hill. This is the only Slam semi he ever reached after '88. He'd beaten Boris Becker in straights sets in the previous round and was seeded 8th but would finish the year ranked 40th. This match is best thought of as a great player playing a journeymen than a contest between two great players
Play is very simple. Edberg serve-volleys 100% of the time. His serve isn't particularly strong of pace or placement. 0 aces, 0 service winners serving at 77%. Not a challenging serve to return
Wilander returns it consistently, with return-rate of 71%, which ordinarily, one would say is very good against 100% serve-volleying. This is not ordinary though. He returns like he might against a baseliner, and Edberg knocks off volleys at will. Note the 16 first volley winners. Wilander has 8 winners for the match
Edberg has days when he's whipping away winners to decent returns. This isn't what happens here either. Most first volleys are easy - lower ribs to chest high and of average power. Same thing on the pass when Edberg approaches in Wilander service games... Wilander just puts passes in play as if playing regulation baseline shots. Edberg doesn't even have to punch them away... just placing them does just as well (though he does whisk away the ones that need whisking). Also gets in very close to net from where he can short angle the winning volley
I suppose being receiving end of 39 volley/OH winners is preferable to missing returns, but its not that Edberg's returns are particularly challenging. Just bad returning from Mats
Easy as he has it, credit to Edberg on the volley. There has to be some percentage that constitutes "volleying well" when up against weak passing/returning... no one makes 100% of even easy volleys. Edberg comes close. Just 2 volleying UEs - 1 was easy, the other the type of ball not hard to put in play. Rarely does he leave Wilander with a pass to a ball above the net... they're put away for winners. Easy volleys certainly, but you can't deal any better than Edberg does
Edberg's faced with very few difficult volleys and makes the ones he faces reasonably well. He doesn't face break point
Wilander mostly serves gently and Edberg can return comfortably. Late in match, Mats does bang down some tough serves, indicating he had the ability to do so. Its a very slow court and probably not worth the effort to serve hard
Comfortable returning from Edberg. A stellar shot is a drop, return-approach which he wins with a net-to-net BHV winner. He played a similar shot in the final against Ivan Lendl, which I thought looked deliberate, but one allows makes allowance for a shot like that being a fluke. Seeing the one here gives greater confidence that it had been intentional
All 3 Edberg return UEs are return-approach attempts and all in first set. He wisely ceases trying after that because he doesn't need to; he can easily find a way to net from rallying. And still wins 5/6 such points in the match
Baseline rallies are passive, duel winged affairs like a typical clay court match. Mats is neither particularly consistent nor heavy. Points end with UEs or with Edberg taking net. When the former, rallies are just medium of length or even short and Mats is as likely to be the one to blink. Baseline UEs for match - Mats 8, Edberg 11... that's a relative win for Edberg and its a result of Mats being down from his old norm, not Edberg being up from his (in the final, the situation is the opposite)
With at least non-heavy (if not light) regulation groundstrokes from Mats, Edberg has little trouble manufacturing approaches. And those mostly go the same way as his serve-volley points... Mats making a relaxed, high pass and Edberg swishing away the volley winner
Mats is at his best serve-volleying too, winning 5/6. He misses first serve on a small number of other points he was looking to come in behind. In play though, his approaches are unsuccessful and he wins just 4/13 coming in. Total net numbers just 9/19... nothing hugely wrong with his approaching or volleying, mostly credit Edberg's passing shots
On 9 occasions, Edberg hits 3 winners in succession (including over 2 games) - twice extending it to 4
With Wilander serving to avoid a bagel in the second set, Edberg reaches 15-40 and has 2 set & break points. He makes 3 baseline errors in succession and comes in late after a return to be forced into a volleying error. It occurred to me as a possibility that he threw these points to allow Mats to escape being bagelled. He'd reached 15-40 to begin with 3 winners in a row - 2 of them passes, which he couldn't have counted on pulling off
Summing up, Mats puts balls high over net and Edberg volleys away winners like clockwork. Entertaining in its simplicity and the grace of Edberg's finishing. Poor from Mats and near perfect from Edberg against weak resistance
- Stats for the pair's '85 Aus final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...s-wilander-australian-open-final-1985.659369/
- Stats for the final between Edberg and Ivan Lendl - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-vs-edberg-australian-open-final-1990.670540/
Edberg would go onto lose in the final to Ivan Lendl. This was Wilander's last Slam semi and the only one he made in 17 appearances post 1988. This was the 4th meeting between the pair at the event - Wilander won in '84 on grass and '88, Edberg had won in the '85 final on grass
Edberg won 83 points, Wilander 44
Edberg serve-volleyed off all serves
Serve Stats
Edberg...
- 1st serve percentage (44/57) 77%
- 1st serve points won (36/44) 82%
- 2nd serve points won (9/13) 69%
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (16/57) 28%
Wilander...
- 1st serve percentage (45/70) 64%
- 1st serve points won (24/45) 53%
- 2nd serve points won (8/25) 32%
- Aces 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (11/70) 16%
Serve Patterns
Edberg served...
- to FH 35%
- to BH 42%
- to Body 24%
Wilander served...
- to FH 37%
- to BH 50%
- to Body 13%
Return Stats
Edberg made...
- 59 (30 FH, 29 BH), including 3 runaround FHs, 6 return-approaches & 1 drop-return
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 3 Unforced (1 FH, 2 BH), all return-approach attempts
- 5 Forced (1 FH, 4 BH)
- Return Rate (59/70) 84%
Wilander made...
- 39 (13 FH, 26 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 16 Errors, all forced...
- 16 Forced (8 FH, 8 BH)
- Return Rate (39/55) 71%
Break Points
Edberg 7/13 (8 games)
Wilander 0
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Edberg 45 (3 FH, 3 BH, 9 FHV, 23 BHV, 7 OH)
Wilander 8 (3 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV)
Edberg had 24 from serve-volley points
- 16 first volleys (3 FHV, 11 BHV, 2 OH)
- 7 second volleys (1 FHV, 3 BHV, 3 OH)
- 1 third volley (1 FHV)
- 2 from return-approach points (2 BHV)
- FHs - 1 cc pass and 2 dtl (1 return, 1 pass)
- BHs (all passes) - 2 cc and 1 dtl
Wilander's FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 inside-out and 1 inside-in
- BHs (all passes) - 2 dtl (1 return) and 2 inside-out
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Edberg 23
- 13 Unforced (6 FH, 5 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 10 Forced (1 FH, 2 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 45.4
Wilander 22
- 10 Unforced (5 FH, 3 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 12 Forced (4 FH, 6 BH, 1 BHV, 1 BHOH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43
(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...
- 65/79 (82%) at net, including...
- 45/55 (82%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 36/44 (82%) off 1st serve and...
- 9/11 (82%) off 2nd serve
---
- 5/6 (82%) return-approaching
Wilander was...
- 8/18 (44%) at net, including...
- 5/6 (83%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
Match Report
Not just one-sided, but briskly so. Wilander looks like he's giving Edberg putaway volleying practice and Edberg looks like he's giving a lesson in putaway volleying. Like a couple where one person loves to cook and the other loves to eat
Some background. After a stellar 1988 where he won 3 Slams and finished number 1, Wilander fell off a hill. This is the only Slam semi he ever reached after '88. He'd beaten Boris Becker in straights sets in the previous round and was seeded 8th but would finish the year ranked 40th. This match is best thought of as a great player playing a journeymen than a contest between two great players
Play is very simple. Edberg serve-volleys 100% of the time. His serve isn't particularly strong of pace or placement. 0 aces, 0 service winners serving at 77%. Not a challenging serve to return
Wilander returns it consistently, with return-rate of 71%, which ordinarily, one would say is very good against 100% serve-volleying. This is not ordinary though. He returns like he might against a baseliner, and Edberg knocks off volleys at will. Note the 16 first volley winners. Wilander has 8 winners for the match
Edberg has days when he's whipping away winners to decent returns. This isn't what happens here either. Most first volleys are easy - lower ribs to chest high and of average power. Same thing on the pass when Edberg approaches in Wilander service games... Wilander just puts passes in play as if playing regulation baseline shots. Edberg doesn't even have to punch them away... just placing them does just as well (though he does whisk away the ones that need whisking). Also gets in very close to net from where he can short angle the winning volley
I suppose being receiving end of 39 volley/OH winners is preferable to missing returns, but its not that Edberg's returns are particularly challenging. Just bad returning from Mats
Easy as he has it, credit to Edberg on the volley. There has to be some percentage that constitutes "volleying well" when up against weak passing/returning... no one makes 100% of even easy volleys. Edberg comes close. Just 2 volleying UEs - 1 was easy, the other the type of ball not hard to put in play. Rarely does he leave Wilander with a pass to a ball above the net... they're put away for winners. Easy volleys certainly, but you can't deal any better than Edberg does
Edberg's faced with very few difficult volleys and makes the ones he faces reasonably well. He doesn't face break point
Wilander mostly serves gently and Edberg can return comfortably. Late in match, Mats does bang down some tough serves, indicating he had the ability to do so. Its a very slow court and probably not worth the effort to serve hard
Comfortable returning from Edberg. A stellar shot is a drop, return-approach which he wins with a net-to-net BHV winner. He played a similar shot in the final against Ivan Lendl, which I thought looked deliberate, but one allows makes allowance for a shot like that being a fluke. Seeing the one here gives greater confidence that it had been intentional
All 3 Edberg return UEs are return-approach attempts and all in first set. He wisely ceases trying after that because he doesn't need to; he can easily find a way to net from rallying. And still wins 5/6 such points in the match
Baseline rallies are passive, duel winged affairs like a typical clay court match. Mats is neither particularly consistent nor heavy. Points end with UEs or with Edberg taking net. When the former, rallies are just medium of length or even short and Mats is as likely to be the one to blink. Baseline UEs for match - Mats 8, Edberg 11... that's a relative win for Edberg and its a result of Mats being down from his old norm, not Edberg being up from his (in the final, the situation is the opposite)
With at least non-heavy (if not light) regulation groundstrokes from Mats, Edberg has little trouble manufacturing approaches. And those mostly go the same way as his serve-volley points... Mats making a relaxed, high pass and Edberg swishing away the volley winner
Mats is at his best serve-volleying too, winning 5/6. He misses first serve on a small number of other points he was looking to come in behind. In play though, his approaches are unsuccessful and he wins just 4/13 coming in. Total net numbers just 9/19... nothing hugely wrong with his approaching or volleying, mostly credit Edberg's passing shots
On 9 occasions, Edberg hits 3 winners in succession (including over 2 games) - twice extending it to 4
With Wilander serving to avoid a bagel in the second set, Edberg reaches 15-40 and has 2 set & break points. He makes 3 baseline errors in succession and comes in late after a return to be forced into a volleying error. It occurred to me as a possibility that he threw these points to allow Mats to escape being bagelled. He'd reached 15-40 to begin with 3 winners in a row - 2 of them passes, which he couldn't have counted on pulling off
Summing up, Mats puts balls high over net and Edberg volleys away winners like clockwork. Entertaining in its simplicity and the grace of Edberg's finishing. Poor from Mats and near perfect from Edberg against weak resistance
- Stats for the pair's '85 Aus final - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...s-wilander-australian-open-final-1985.659369/
- Stats for the final between Edberg and Ivan Lendl - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-vs-edberg-australian-open-final-1990.670540/
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