Match Stats/Report - Lendl vs Masur, Canada semi-final, 1992

[Waspsting]

Ivan Lendl beat Wally Masur 6-1, 6-2 in the Canada semi-final, 1992 on hard court in Toronto

Lendl would go onto lose the final to Andre Agassi. Masur was seeded 10

Lendl won 61 points, Masur 39

Masur serve-volleyed off most first serves and about a third of seconds

Serve Stats
Lendl...
- 1st serve percentage (29/45) 64%
- 1st serve points won (21/29) 72%
- 2nd serve points won (13/16) 81%
- Aces 5, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (13/45) 29%

Masur...
- 1st serve percentage (34/55) 62%
- 1st serve points won (20/34) 59%
- 2nd serve points won (8/21) 38%
- Aces 4, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (12/55) 22%

Serve Patterns
Lendl served...
- to FH 48%
- to BH 48%
- to Body 5%

Masur served...
- to FH 31%
- to BH 59%
- to Body 10%

Return Stats
Lendl made...
- 39 (11 FH, 28 BH)
- 3 Winners (3 BH)
- 7 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 6 Forced (3 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (39/51) 76%

Masur made...
- 31 (20 FH, 11 BH), including 5 runaround FHs & 2 return-approaches
- 7 Errors, comprising...
- 6 Unforced (1 FH, 5 BH)
- 1 Forced (1 FH)
- Return Rate (31/44) 70%

Break Points
Lendl 4/11 (4 games)
Masur 0/1

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Lendl 26 (15 FH, 7 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 OH)
Masur 9 (1 FH, 2 BH, 3 FHV, 1 BHV, 2 OH)

Lendl's FHs - 6 cc (1 pass), 3 dtl (2 passes), 2 dtl/inside-out passes, 3 inside-out (1 pass), 1 longline pass
- BHs - 3 dtl (1 pass), 1 inside-out, 3 inside-in return passes

- the OH was on the bounce from no-man's land

Masur had 3 from serve-volley points - 1 first volley (1 BHV) & 2 second volleys (2 FHV)
- 1 from a return-approach point, a FHV
- 1 other OH was on the bounce

- FH - 1 dtl
- BH passes - 2 dtl

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Lendl 17
- 9 Unforced (4 FH, 5 BH)
- 8 Forced (4 FH, 4 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 45.6

Masur 18
- 12 Unforced (6 FH, 3 BH, 2 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 6 Forced (2 FH, 3 BH, 1 FH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 50

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

Net Points & Serve-Volley
Lendl was 7/10 (70%) at net, with...
- 1/2 forced back/retreated

Masur was...
- 18/34 (53%) at net, including...
- 13/24 (54%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 11/18 (61%) off 1st serve and...
- 2/6 (33%) off 2nd serve
---
- 1/2 return-approaching
- 0/1 forced back

Match Report
Close to a mismatch, with Masur’s movement and shot-resistance not upto handling what its tasked with. Lendl though seems to be in good nick. Masur serve-volleys a lot. He’s so-so so doing, with movement again not quite upto scratch and Lendl’s in very good nick on the pass, including on the run. Court is slowish, with clay-court’ish bounce

26 winners from Lendl - 11 in baseline rallies, 11 passes, 4 ‘volleys’. Putting in perspective -
- both players combined have 25 unreturned serves
- both players combined have 21 UEs
- both players combined have 14 FEs
- Masur has 9 winners

Masur serve-volleys more and more as match goes on. Does so most of time off first serve right from start, though picking up still more later on. Not at all off second serve in first set, but regularly in second. He otherwise seeks net opportunistically from baseline rallies

From baseline, Lendl bullies him. Relatively contained hitting from Lendl, but its enough to push Masur back and be rushed, from where Lendl’s able to move forward and comfily attack more firmly. High bounce isn’t Masur’s friend either. Despite all the winners, Lendl’s not overly aggressive, but smartly. Dispatches short balls, which he’s able to draw with his stock rallying force advantage

Its that ‘stock rallying force’ where the mismatch’ish aspect of the contest comes through. Masur in trouble against moderate power or wide shots, giving up short balls, and Lendl dispatching them quite safely

By Lendl's standard, its quite aggressive. Generally, he’s apt to either just beat errors out of opponent with power or wait them out via consistency. Here, advances his position longer rallies go and finishes with winners

In baseline rallies -
- Winners - Lendl 11 (8 FH, 3 BH), Masur 1 FH
- Errors forced - Lendl 2, Masur 1
- UEs - both 9

Virtually equal, sans winners

Serve paves the way for some of Lendl’s winners. As in serve draws weakish return, that gets smacked hard and pushes Masur back at once… and after a shot or 2 more with Lendl strengthening his position, Lendl bops away the winner. But he’s capable of running that track from neutral starting position too by just outhitting and pushing back opponent

Its on FH that Lendl particularly bossy. 5 of his FH winners are cc and more than that, pushes Masur back with the shot

On BH, Lendl still with power advantage when he wants. He mixes up drives, top spin, chips, slic-drives so isn’t always looking to command. More often than not in fact. Just looking to be more consistent mostly, occasionally overpowering

He’s got 2 dtl winners and surprise third ball inside-out winner off the BH, Masur has 0, but Masur has match low 3 UEs (Lendl just 2 more than that - while capable of bossing when he chooses)

Masur doesn’t look any stronger on BH than he does on more clearly bullied FH. Its difference in Lendl’s firepower across wings that seems to be behind Masur’s BH staying respectable. Mas’ FH also has match high 6 UEs (2 more than Lendl), which are more pressured than Lendl’s because it doesn’t take much to pressure him

Lendl moving immaculately, perfectly positioned for every ball. Not a given in this period. He’s not tested much, but there’s enough to be going on. And he is tested on the run - more while passing - and looks A-ok. Masur again isn’t too good. Fair few of Lendl’s winners wouldn’t be sure winners against good mover

The Masur at net vs Lendl on pass isn’t a bad contest, though Lendl gets better of that too. Masur wins 53% of 34 approaches. Lendl to contrast, wins 7/10 and doesn’t miss a single ball on the full

 

[Waspsting]

Masur serve-volleys 62% off first serves and 35% off seconds, with both frequencies going up as match goes on
Off first serve, wins 61% serve-volleying, 36% not. To go with solid 14% ace/service winner
Off second serve, wins 33% serve-volleying, 55% not. To go with bad 19% double faulting

On volley, he has 6 winners, 3 UEs, 1 FE
Lendl on pass has 11 winners, 7 FEs.

Sans 3 return winners (all BHs), Lendl on pass
- FH 7 winners, 3 FEs
- BH 1 winner, 4 FEs

Masur's movements are a drawback in forecourt too. Simply, not getting into perfect position; He faces average powered return-passes
3 UEs on the volley isn’t the best for just 34 approaches

Lendl’s passing distribution at least, is a bit misleading. Looking at those, obvious conclusion is Masur erring badly in going to FH so often
If he’s erred, its not to extent suggested by numbers. Some brilliant running FH winners by Lendl, and others are hit after forcing uncontrolled volley. Mas looks to volley to BH when he can and volleys wide to FH smartly. Lendl just happens to superb on the run there

Lendl’s 7/10 at net. Could come in much more often if he chose, but no need to. Highlight of Mas’ showing are 2 wonderful, running BH dtl pass winners. Lendl doesn’t miss a volley of any kind (third point he loses is a forced back one)

Lendl with contained, hefty serve, Masur average
64% first serves in is high for Lendl. He’s got 6 aces/service winners or 21% of first serves, but usually doesn’t serve too wide. Mas able to cover return, despite not being quick. Mas has 14% first serve aces/service winners. If that’s higher than what his serve looks worth, the 7% gap with Lendl is fair indicator of difference in quality of serves

6/7 Mas’ return errors have been marked UEs. Balls he’s covered and but can’t put into play
6/7 Lendl’s return errors have been marked FEs. Due to serve-volleying, not quality of the serves. Most would be UEs, sans serve-volley

Lendl goes to towel off a few times in middle of games, both serve and return ones. Its amusing to hear the commentators express pointed opinions on this as delay of game and time wasting. Not that they’re overly censorious. One brings up how Jimmy Connors took oodles of time between points at the last US Open and seemingly sincerely, frames such time wasting as the sign of a true champion who dictates pace of play and is in control

He’s not wrong, in the sense that it’s the kind of thing a big draw is far more likely to get away with than Joe Pro
How times have changes. Lendl’s actions are the norm now and would barely be noticed, let alone inspire an ethical breakdown

Match Progression
1 & 2 is a thrashing but the breaks don’t come easy

All second serve love hold by Lendl to start - couple return errors, beat-up FH point and surprise third ball BH inside-out winner

Takes 10 points to break after that. 5 of them Lendl winners - BH dtl from near service line, smash on bounce from little further back, FH cc pass and last 2 points, drilled BH dtl pass after drawing a first 1/2volley and adventurous BH dtl from well outside court

Next break makes score 5-1 and takes 14 points. 4 more winners from Lendl in it, but its back and forth game. Break’s finally actualized via consecutive double faults

Mas knocks off 3 winners in a row (FH dtl set up by wide FH cc, running BH dtl pass and OH after working way to net) to raise his first (and as it turns out, last) break point on the serve-out.
Gives up a soft BH UE on it, and Lendl wraps up with a pair of FH winners - a pass after drop shotting Mas in and half-tracker inside-out

17 winners, 4 UEs in the set for Lendl. Awesome stuff
9 winners, 5 UEs in the second. Less awesome, just as winning

Masur takes to serve-volleying more regularly in second set, particularly off second serves

At 1-1, Lendl starts game with a brilliant running FH cc winner. Masur responds by serve-volleying 100% for remaining 9 points. Couple of easy FHV misses don’t help and he’s eventually broken by consecutive low returns - first drawing a 1/2volley error, second he makes 1/2volley which is dispatched FH dtl for winner

He’s broken next go around and end comes shortly after

Summing up, close to mismatch with Lendl readily able to overpower and push back Masur, whose movement an shot-resistance just isn’t upto opponent’s standard
Not a bad contest with Masur at net vs Lendl on the pass, though Masur’s movements still leave him with a problem and Lendl gets better of that one too

Lendl looks to be in fine form, on par with his dominant days. Movements are immaculate, he’s excellent on the run, especially passing and is perfectly positioned for virtually every shot. Albeit, not tested much by categorically weaker oppoent

Stats for the final between Lendl and Andre Agassi - Match Stats/Report - Agassi vs Lendl, Canadian Open final, 1992 | Talk Tennis