Match Stats/Report - Haas vs Mirnyi, Stuttgart Indoor final, 2001

[Waspsting]

Tommy Haas beat Max Mirnyi 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in the Stuttgart Indoor final, 2001 on indoor hard court

It would be Haas’ only Masters title and Mirnyi’s only final. Mirnyi was a qualifier who beat Olivier Rochus, Gustavo Kuerten, Goran Ivanisevic, Pete Sampras and Yevgeny Kafelnikov en route to the final. This would be the last edition of the tournament and following year, it would be replaced by Madrid Indoor as a Masters event

Haas won 86 points, Mirnyi 54

Mirnyi serve-volleyed of all but 2 first serves and majority of seconds

Serve Stats
Haas...
- 1st serve percentage (33/62) 53%
- 1st serve points won (29/33) 88%
- 2nd serve points won (20/29) 69%
- Aces 8 (1 second serve), Service Winners 2
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (29/62) 47%

Mirnyi...
- 1st serve percentage (44/78) 56%
- 1st serve points won (32/44) 73%
- 2nd serve points won (9/34) 26%
- Aces 11 (1 not clean)
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (28/78) 36%

Serve Patterns
Haas served...
- to FH 53%
- to BH 35%
- to Body 12%

Mirnyi served...
- to FH 31%
- to BH 67%
- to Body 3%

Return Stats
Haas made...
- 47 (17 FH, 30 BH)
- 8 Winners (1 FH, 7 BH)
- 17 Errors, comprising...
- 3 Unforced (1 FH, 2 BH)
- 14 Forced (3 FH, 11 BH)
- Return Rate (47/75) 63%

Mirnyi made...
- 31 (16 FH, 15 BH), including 4 return-approaches
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 19 Errors, comprising...
- 14 Unforced (5 FH, 9 BH)
- 5 Forced (4 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (31/60) 52%

Break Points
Haas 6/10 (6 games)
Mirnyi 0

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Haas 22 (5 FH, 15 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
Mirnyi 14 (2 FH, 1 BH, 4 FHV, 3 BHV, 4 OH)

Haas had 15 passes (7 returns, 8 regular) - 7 returns (1 FH, 6 BH) & 8 regular (1 FH, 7 BH)
- FH return - 1 dtl
- BH returns - 4 dtl, 1 inside-out, 1 inside-in slice
- regular FHs - 1 dtl, 1 lob
- regular BHs - 2 cc, 1 cc/down-the-middle, 4 dtl

- regular (non-pass) FH - 1 inside-out
- regular BHs - 1 dtl return, 1 longline at net

- 1 from a serve-volley point, a first 'volley' FH at net

Mirnyi had 8 from serve-volley points -
- 5 first 'volleys' (2 FHV, 2 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 3 second volleys (1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH)

- 1 from a return-approach point, a BHV

- FH - 1 cc
- BH return - 1 dtl

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Haas 10
- 3 Unforced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- 7 Forced (5 FH, 2 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 50

Mirnyi 32
- 18 Unforced (11 FH, 4 BH, 2 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 14 Forced (1 FH, 1 BH, 4 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 7 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 46.1

(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 this match are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Haas was...
- 6/6 (100%) at net, including....
- 2/2 serve-volleying, comprising...
- 1/1 off 1st serve and...
- 1/1 off 2nd serve

Mirnyi was...
- 31/62 (50%) at net, including....
- 26/50 (52%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 20/31 (65%) off 1st serve and...
- 6/19 (32%) off 2nd serve
---
- 2/4 (50%) return-approaching

Match Report
Mirnyi serve-volleys, Haas plays from baseline. Haas’ passing, particularly BH passing and including the return, is first class and a lot better than Mirnyi’s decent volleying. Haas gets better of most other areas, but that’s more due to opponent being weak. Court is quick

22 winners, 10 errors (3 UEs, 7 FEs) showing from Haas. To go with whopping 47% unreturned serves. Doesn’t face break point, while breaking as often as not (Mirnyi holds 4 times, is broken 4 times) and winning 47% return points

Mirnyi only wins 26% second serve points. 32% serve-volleying, 25% staying back, double faulting 9% of the time

The serve-volley loss is due to Haas’ outstanding return-passing. It’s a good enough serve to come in behind, but Haas’ short swing, almost-block returns dtl or otherwise wide are almost perfect. This isn’t a full-rip, over-the-top power showing, it’s a controlled, neat one

The staying back is largely down to Max’ looseness of the ground. He has good form in his groundies and his movements are fine too. Just can’t keep rally going for too long. Rallies are typically medium length and equal of hitting, but its Max who blinks up the errors. Ground UEs read Haas 3, Max 15. Or he comes in, and is met by great passes. Max is just 3/8 rallying to net

Double faults aren’t high

Max with healthy 73% first serve points won and decent 56% first serves in. It’s the thrashing he gets on second serves that sink him - and there doesn’t seem to be anything he’s capable of doing to prevent that
On other side, Max’ return game is poor - bad consistency on return and outlasted in rallies

Match in 2 nutshells

- Max serve-volleying, strong first serve, not a bad second
His routine volleying is solid, he’s under-par on the difficult stuff (combo of low, wide, powerful)
And some very high end passing (both with return and regular) from Haas to exploit it
Mostly credit Haas’ passing for how this area of action plays out

- Max outmatched in other areas
Misses a lot of returns, is free with the baseline errors
Pretty good serving from Haas, but mostly discredit to Max for this part

Odd, non-tennis related matter. Both players are wearing Nike kits (shirt and shorts), but seem to be wearing something other than Nike shoes

An unusual (and very good) call in the match. Chair calls a point for Haas, as Max pushes a volley through for double touch (or whatever its officially called)

He weakly makes volley against powerful pass and its slowly head into net, but follow through on the volley pushes the ball back in play. Which is legal (as far as I know) if the movement is continuous from the first shot

On replay, it does look like the follow through push goes slightly beyond continuous and into intentional second shot, bu its subtle and wouldn’t be an easy call to make in real time. No objection from Max

Haas’ serve games
Mundane stuff. Judgement free, Haas’ game far better than Max’
With judgement, Haas with competent game, and Max’ not upto standard

However you look at it, end result is beyond dispute; Haas holding like clockwork
No break points faced. Taken to deuce just once. Average service game lasts 5.17 points

Hefty serve. 27% of his first serves are aces/service winners and unreturend rate is huge 47%
Max does not return well and prone to missing routine returns

14/19 return errors have been marked UEs (8 second serves, 6 firsts). Tends to miss straight forward block returns. Neither the court nor Haas’ serve is fast enough to justify so many misses
Haas with just 53% first serves in, so plenty of looks at second serves
Haas’ second serve unreturned rate of 31% would be good to hold behind (sans doubles, its 33%), leaving aside the full 47%

Most action is baseline rallies. In them -
Winners - both 2 (both with 1 return)
Errosr Forced - Max 2
UEs - Haas 3, Max 15

Basic rallies, with FHs more on show. Both players staying a little behind baseline, both hitting firmly

Max’ FH with by far high 11 UEs. Other shots have 1, 2 and 4 respectively
Haas with 1 neutral UE. Max has 9, plus a defensive one

 

[Waspsting]

There’s nothing in Max’ form to suggest he’d be so outdone. In other words, his shots look solid and he moves well enough. But errors come from him regularly. Discredit to him for that, rather than credit to Haas for being so secure

Haas is also perfect 6/6 at net, including 2 serve-volleys, so 4/4 rallying to net. Max is 3/8

Those rallying to net numbers aren’t necessarily in Haas’ service games, but most would be.
Little interest for Haas to come in. With 47% freebies and between 5-10 times consistency advantage, no need either

Gist - easy holds for Haas. Good serve, normal solid groundies. His opponent is inconsistent on both return and off the ground, though looking comfy enough on both

Mirnyi’s serve games
Max serve-volleys 94% off first serves and 61% off seconds
Off first serves, wins 65% serve-volleying, 1/2 staying back and delivers ace 25% of the time
Off second serves, wins 32% serve-volleying, 25% staying back and double faults 9% of time

Holds 4 times, is broken four. Wins exactly 50% of net points (a shade over that just serve-volleying)

His first serve is on par with Haas’ and the ace rate is similar
His second serve isn’t weak, but Haas’ returning of it is especially good

On the ‘volley’, Max has 12 winners, 3 UEs and 12 FEs
Haas has 7 return-pass winners to go with 14 return errors against serve-volley and 9 regular pass winners (2 FH, 7 BH) for 5 FEs (3 FH, 2 BH)

That’s a trainwreck from Max’ point of view and almost all credit to Haas for that

For starters, Haas return-passes superbly. Compact, firm, block is typical BH return and he places them wide for his winners, mostly dtl

Max serves to BH 67% of time and draws higher proportion of BH errors than that, so can’t fault him the choice. But 6/7 return-pass winners are BHs (4 dtl, 1 each inside-out and inside-in). He’s got a dtl winner on a stay back point too

On the routine net high volley, Max is solid. 3 UEs isn’t bad and he gets them moderately wide, not badly punched through
Difficult volleys are different matter. 12 FEs are a lot and they’re of all kinds (low, powerful, wide or some combo of the three). He makes about 3-5. By definition difficult, but not impossible. Max would like to make a few more tough volleys than he has

There’s a caveat, and it’s the kind that’s likely to get a volleyer banging his head. The few difficult volleys he does make, he makes outstandingly - placing them wide and deep. Only Haas hits those for winners on the run out of corners

Haas’ outstanding passing figures are even better than they look for these few low percentage shots he spikes away

Max managing to find Haas’ BH with his volleys. 7 winners, 2 FEs is his reward. 1 of the FH winners is also a low percentage shot that Haas on the stretch against a deep ball manages to hoick over the tall Max for a lob winner. Perhaps Max errors in persisting with going to BH side?

Most fair looks at the pass are dispatched clinically by Haas too
Nothing wrong with Max’s movement to account for any of this

Who can blame Max for adjusting by staying back some? Doesn’t do him much good, as same baseline tune playing in his return games hold for these points
Max manufactures approaches (as opposed to coming in from commanding position). Result is fair look passes and dispatched passes

Gist - calmly superb passing and counter serve-volley returning by Haas
Controlled, short swing or even block returns, directed often to open space for winners
Good lot of difficult volleys first up, which Max isn’t good at handling
Brilliant passes by Haas against both merely solid or very good corner volleys

Match Progression
Max opens the match with a love hold - 4 first serves, 3 aces and a first volley winner. Talk about a match not continuing the way it starts

For that matter, Haas needs 6 points to hold for 1-1. Rest of match, 9/11 holds are to love or 15
And Max looks good in that return game, with a winning, forcefully pushed FH1/2V from no-man’s land. He’s at net at 40-30 but forced into FHV error by wide, low pass

Score moves to 2-2, with Haas surviving an all second serve game. Though flopping on finish, Max is threatening in that game too, despite comfy score (game takes 5 points, with Max missing couple FH winner attempts, including an easy putaway set up by a very deep return and scoring BHV winner chip-charging)

Haas wins next 6 games

Brilliant BH cc pass winner on the run out of corner, after forcing a low volley with the return to start game 5. Knocks away a BH dtl return winner on first point Max stays back on. Forces a bunch of volley errors and Max misses a reaction volley to end the game

Next go around. 2 BH dtl pass winners (1 return) and 2 forced low volley errors (the latter the dragged double touch call mentioned earlier) garner another break

Breaks to open the second set with 3 pass winners( stretched FH lob against a good, low volley, BH dtl after forcing first 1/2volley and BH dtl return) and Max misses routine FHV on break points
Max stays back more in this set. Doesn’t help. He’s broken staying back 3/6 points in game 5 - with Max taking net on 2 of those points and striking winning passes besides

More of the same in set 3, which like the first set, moves to 2-2 before Haas runs through last 4 games

Pair of routine ground UEs from Max on second serve point she stays back for put him down 30-40 in game 5. He saves break point, but Max responds with consecutive return-pass winners on second serves Max comes in behind (BH inside-out and BH dtl)
Next break takes 12 points and ends with consecutive second volley BHV FEs (the first wide, the second a reflex volley to body pass)

Haas serves out to love

Summing up, Haas plays well, Mirnyi doesn’t and Haas wins easily
The high point if Mirnyi’s serve-volleying vs Haas’ return-passing. Strong serve, pretty solid volley from Mirnyi is outdone by Haas with controlled, well-placed winning returns and top class follow-up passing
Mirnyi’s returning is poor (lots of missed returns) and his ground game isn’t much better than that (gives up errors in firm, neutral rallies, especially with FH) to see Haas hold very easily too, without being tasked much

 

[Galvermegs]

Haas got to number 2 eventually.. then it all became a bit of a mess for him.

Mirnyi was a fun player if very limited from the baseline and returning.