Match Stats/Report - Lendl vs Noah, Australian Open semi-final, 1990

[Waspsting]

Ivan Lendl beat Yannick Noah 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-final, 1990 on hard court

Lendl would go onto win defend his title, beating Stefan Edberg in the final. This would be Noah’s only Slam semi-final showing outside his title run at French Open 1983

Lendl won 86 points, Noah 55

Noah serve-volleyed almost all the time

Serve Stats
Lendl...
- 1st serve percentage (44/68) 65%
- 1st serve points won (37/44) 84%
- 2nd serve points won (15/24) 63%
- Aces 3 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (9/68) 13%

Noah...
- 1st serve percentage (39/73) 53%
- 1st serve points won (24/39) 62%
- 2nd serve points won (15/34) 44%
- Aces 8, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (26/73) 36%

Serve Patterns
Lendl served...
- to FH 30%
- to BH 64%
- to Body 6%

Noah served...
- to FH 33%
- to BH 57%
- to Body 10%

Return Stats
Lendl made...
- 46 (14 FH, 32 BH), including 2 return-approaches
- 7 Winners (2 FH, 5 BH)
- 17 Errors, comprising...
- 2 Unforced (1 FH, 1 BH)
- 15 Forced (5 FH, 10 BH)
- Return Rate (46/72) 64%

Noah made...
- 55 (17 FH, 38 BH), including 1 runaround FH & 6 return-approaches
- 6 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH), including 2 return-approach attempts
- 1 Forced (1 BH)
- Return Rate (55/64) 86%

Break Points
Lendl 6/9 (6 games)
Noah 0/2 (1 game)

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Lendl 36 (15 FH, 14 BH, 1 FHV, 4 BHV, 2 OH)
Noah 9 (1 FH, 2 BH, 4 FHV, 2 BHV)

Lendl had 24 passes - 7 returns (2 FH, 5 BH) & 17 regular (9 FH, 8 BH)
- FH returns - 1 dtl, 1 inside-in
- BH returns - 2 cc, 1 dtl, 1 inside-out, 1 inside-in
- regular FHs - 2 dtl, 1 dtl/inside-out, 3 inside-out, 1 inside-out/longline, 1 inside-in, 1 lob
- regular BHs - 3 cc (1 slice at net), 2 dtl, 1 dtl/inside-out, 1 inside-out, 1 running-down-drop-shot dtl/inside-out (non-net)

- regular (non-pass) FHs - 1 cc, 1 cc/inside-in, 1 dtl, 1 inside-in,
- regular BH - 1 dtl

- 4 from serve-volley points (4 BHV), all first volleys

Noah had 6 from serve-volley points -
- 3 first 'volleys' (1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 FH at net)... the FH at net was a drop shot
- 3 second volleys (2 FHV, 1 BHV)

- BH passes - 1 cc, 1 dtl

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Lendl 16
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 1 BH, 1 OH)... with 1 BH pass attempt
- 12 Forced (7 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 52.5

Noah 40
- 20 Unforced (4 FH, 9 BH, 1 FHV, 5 BHV, 1 BHOH)
- 20 Forced (3 FH, 8 BH, 5 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 3 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 49

(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...
- 17/22 (77%) at net, including...
- 6/7 (86%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
---
- 1/2 return-approaching

Noah was...
- 34/73 (47%) at net, including...
- 24/53 (45%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 12/24 (50%) off 1st serve and...
- 12/29 (41%) off 2nd serve
---
- 4/6 (67%) return-approaching

Match Report
After competitive opening set, the serve-volleying Noah fades and its all Lendl in the next 2. Noah’s movements descend to very poor and isn’t upto handle Lendl’s low chip-returning. The court is slow

After 1 set, Lendl’s won 31 points, Noah 29 with both players serving 30 of them. Lendl snagging break to start, but Noah losing just 4 service points in next 4 holds
Second set starts competitively, with Noah holding to love and extending Lendl to 12 points to consolidate. And Noah advances to 40-30, game point after that. At that stage, Lendl’s won 40 points, Noah 41
From then on, Lendl wins 46 points (starting with the next 16), Noah 14

So what exactly happens to Noah? He’s either injured or thoroughly gassed. Best guess, the latter. His movements gets worse and worse. Moving forward, sideways or getting down

There’s no trigger incident for possibly injury. He shakes a leg once or twice and makes a few faces, but Noah always makes faces. He doesn’t seem to call for a medical time out (I’m not sure what the rules are for so doing during the period. In the final, Edberg received multiple treatments mid-match). He is sweating substantially and breathing heavily often. It’s a blindingly sunny day, the kind where one can imagine glare of sun of the court might be an issue for the players

It’d be a bit strange for Australian Open semi-finalist to get this gassed after a set and couple games of tennis, but not unheard of. And it looks like that’s what happened

The tennis is simple

Lendl’s serve game
Lendl serves at 3-quarter pace, keeps high in count of 65%. Some of the lightest serving I’ve seen from him.
- Returns don’t come back strong
- Lendl moves over to play FH inside-out to Noah’s BH. Not overly strong. Either keeps it at it to draw error or comes in off it and finishes at net. QED, clockwork dependable pattern
- Lendl throws in a few serve-volleys. Gets easy volleys and puts them away
- Easily outlasted/pushed around in baseline rallies, Noah takes to chip-charging returns or otherwise manufacturing chip approaches. Its better than playing Lendl’s game - though far from good

65% in count for Lendl is high. He’s got just 2 first serve aces from 44 first serves. Gentle serving
Noah is very consistent on the return. Even against toned down serving on slow court, 86% return rate is something

To Noah’s credit, he chip-charge returns weaker first serves as well as seconds. At least, for awhile. He chip-charge returns 6 times in first 5 return games of match, and then never again. So right when Lendl’s big winning run starts is when he stops

In baseline rallies -
- Winners - Lendl 5 (4 FH, 1 BH)
- Errors forced - Lendl 3, Noah 1
- UEs - Lendl 2 FH, Noah 13 (4 FH, 9 BH)

UEs speaks for themselves. They don’t take long in coming from Noah and his hitting is feeble too. Lot of moderate powered FH inside-out’ng from Lendl to draw all those BH UEs. He could undoubtedly hit much harder to be pressuring or even attacking, but no need to
Not a bad move from Noah to take on a few BH dtl kill shots. He misses them all (about 3-4), but what does he have to lose going for them?

 

[Waspsting]

Its not who-blinks-first baseline tennis though. Often as not, Lendl takes net after hitting to Noah’s BH and comes in to finish. In line with Noah’s feeble hitting, he presents easy volleys

Rallying to net - Lendl 10/13, Noah 6/14
Lendl also serve-volleys when he wants. He’s 6/7 so doing, with 4 winners. Returns are weak enough that he’s able to move over and play preffered BHV, which has all the winners, most of them inside-out’ish

Noah manufactures approaches from routine position. Chip off either wing and run in. Not a high percentage play, but beats the alternative

Gist - soft serving from Lendl, very regular but low force returning from Noah and Lendl doing whatever he wants afterwards
What he wants is combo of breaking down BH with moderate back-away FH inside-outs or approaching behind the same shot. Throws in a few serve-volleys too
Noah thoroughly outmatched from baseline, with some desperate kill shot BH dtl’s (misses them all) and low percentage chip approaches from standard positions (not too effective)
Easy time for Lendl

Noah’s serve game
Big serve and serve-volleying from Noah
He serve-volleys 80% off first serve and 88% off seconds
Off first serves, wins 50% serve-volleying, 50% not
Off second serves, wins 41% serve-volleying, 75% (3/4) not

53% in count isn’t good, but his is a huge serve. 23% of the firsts are aces/service winners (Lendl has 5% to compare) with a lot more besides brutishly near unreturnable. Even in Lendl’s swing zone at his all-in first serve pace is very difficult to return

Pace of serve goes into explaining unusual choice to serve-volley more often off second serves than firsts; he can’t get to net properly behind biggest first serves. He’d have to be quick to do so at best of times - and this match isn’t the best of times for him, movement wise

Lendl leads with chip-return passes, looking to get the return down low. Good way to handle such a big serve and something he seems to have worked out for the year. He’d do a lot of it in the final too and later in the grass season

If Noah were fit, would make for a good contest. Healthy 36% freebies, just 1 double fault, Lendl chipping returns low or at least, under the net and ensuing volley-pas contest

With Noah not so fit, it turns on sided. Noah struggles to reach even slightly wide block returns, he’s slow enough coming in that he’s forced to play shoelace volleys unnecessarily (he’s not too bad at making them, at least), and he’s not able to get into position to create easy volleys

Just 6 serve-volley winners from Noah (3 firsts, 3 seconds)
Lendl meanwhile has 7 return-pass winners

In all, Noah on ‘volley’ has 7 winners, 7 UEs, 9 FEs
Lendl on the pass in play has 17 (9 FH, 8 BH) winners, 10 FEs (6 FH, 4 BH), 1 UE
Along with 7 return winners from 46 returns, while usually not going for winners on second shot

No question who’s winning that contest
Good lot of UEs for Noah and the FEs are made into FEs (or at least, made much harder than they need be) due to poor movement
Not getting down well leaves him shovelling the low volley up and leaving good look pass
Lendl making hay on those good look passes. Interestingly, more successfully off the BH than FH (minor matter - both are oustanding)

After loss of conditioning, Noah is less regular of power on his first serve, but still belts down a few as big as anything earlier in match

Gist - serve-volley vs return-pass contest
Big serves from Noah and does well to double fault just once
Lot of low chip returning from Lendl. Doesn’t leave Noah with much above the net to volley
Noah’s movements receding leaves him unable to cope with anything not right at him, subsequent volley qualities not too good (in addition to a lot of missing) and Lendl delivering on the pass in response

Match Progression
Lendl breaks to start the the match from 40-15 down
Double faults and FH inside-in return-pass winner gets things to deuce
Awhile later, average volley from Noah leaves Lendl with fair look pass, that he drives through BH dtl/inside-out for winner to raise second break point of game
On it, Noah stays back off a first serve for the second time in the game (he serve-volleys off all seconds, by contrast), and Lendl quickly manufactures approach to force a lob error

No more break points in the set. Noah has an easier time of holding but both players are comfy

Some good shots and plays, none more so than a gorgeous stop BHV first volley winner by Noah from his feet. Perfect shot

Noah takes to return-approaching and chip-charge approaching in rallies. Does so 4 times in taking Lendl to 8-point hold for 5-3

In time, Lendl serves out to 15

Love hold by Noah to open the second, but its tricky and he has to make 3 shoelace ‘volleys’ first up and couple times, follow up with reaction ones for winners with Lendl near service line

He continues to attack net in his first return game and draws a couple double faults too. Lendl has to save 2 break points to hold. A routine, approach to BH and draw error play erases the first, but Noah chip-charge returns a first serve on the second. Not too well, and Lendl moves over to launch FH inside-out pass winner. He goes on to hold, with Noah missing a couple of aggressive dtl returns near the end

Game 3 carries on in good quality to 30-30, before Lendl makes complete hash of an easy lined up BH pass from up the court
Ironically, that’s the turning point. Lendl wins next 16 points
Block-chip returns sees Lendl take next 2 points to raise break point (he comes in behind the second one to take on Noah net to net) and Noah misses simple second BHV to lose serve
Lendl breaks next go around with 4 passing winners (FH lob, FH dtl, BH running-down-drop-shot dtl/inside-out and BH cc return)

An ace from Noah ends Lendl’s run at 1-5, but he he goes on to get broken there too. BH inside-in return winner to start game, a powerful BH return to draw a close to body volley error and a low chipped return to draw FH1/2V erro to wrap up

Same stuff in the third. Not much effort to chase balls by Noah and his movement at net gets worse and worse as it goes on. He’d cease return-approaching by time of 16 point losing streak earlier and doesn’t try that either (his only attempt is a return error)

There’s a blue moon rare incident in game 4, where Lendl happily smiles and almost laughs in getting involved with some light matter. Have you ever seen Ivan Lendl laugh during a tennis match?

Lendl breaks for second time to end the match in a game beginning and ending with drop volley UEs, with Lendl smackng a pass winner off either wing in between

Summing up, Noah’s conditioning issues decides match. Shortly into second set, he’s either drained or hurt (probably drained) to the extent of moving poorly - and it gets poorer from there on. It leaves him a sitting duck to be passed and trampled

Good contest before that though. Very big serve and near full serve-volleying by Noah, Lendl with a lot of low chip-returning to cope and fine follow up contest of volley vs pass after

And Lendl’s mapped out perfect service game blueprint - checked serving but enough to draw weak returns + breakdown Noah’s weak BH or approach to it and putaway volley, with an easy serve-volley or 2 of his own thrown in. Noah’s chip-charge returning and desperate manufactured chip approaches with some potential to throw a wrinkle into it, but Lendl much, much better baseliner and Noah’s returning and groundies feeble

Stats for the final between Lendl and Stefan Edberg - (17) Match Stats/Report - Lendl vs Edberg, Australian Open final, 1990 | Talk Tennis
Stats for the other semi-final between Edberg and Mats Wilander - (17) Match Stats/Report - Edberg vs Wilander, Australian Open semi-final, 1990 | Talk Tennis

 

[jrepac]

Noah's BH was not up to snuff against the very top guys, IMHO. But when he had that S&V game going, and was fleet of foot, he was a joy to watch.

 

[buscemi]

Noah's BH was not up to snuff against the very top guys, IMHO. But when he had that S&V game going, and was fleet of foot, he was a joy to watch.

Noah was pretty competitive against Lendl, going 7-11.

Some of Noah's biggest wins over Lendl were at the 1983 French Open on his way to taking the title, an epic five set clay court duel that won France a Davis Cup tie over Czechoslovakia, and the 1982 Indian Wells final.

 

[HBK4life]

Noah had to be on his last legs here.

 

[Hard Court]

Not sure why Noah would have been that tired. Don't recall him having stamina problems before. He was just 29. To be tired like that in just the second set is weird. Trying to remember the circumstances. Did he have to play his previous match the day before? seems more likely that he was injured or sick.

 

[buscemi]

Not sure why Noah would have been that tired. Don't recall him having stamina problems before. He was just 29. To be tired like that in just the second set is weird. Trying to remember the circumstances. Did he have to play his previous match the day before? seems more likely that he was injured or sick.

John Feinstein writes about this in Hard Courts. Noah and Lendl both played in the Sydney Outdoor event the week before the Australian Open. Noah beat Lendl in the QF on the way to taking the title, and Feinstein cites Lendl as taking it easy in that match to preserve himself for the AO while Noah went all out.

Playing five matches in the Australian summer heat the weak before the AO probably isn't the best idea. Noah had a tight five setter in the first round against Prpic and seemed to wear down as that semifinal with Lendl progressed, Noah's 11th match across the two events.

 

[jrepac]

Noah was pretty competitive against Lendl, going 7-11.

Some of Noah's biggest wins over Lendl were at the 1983 French Open on his way to taking the title, an epic five set clay court duel that won France a Davis Cup tie over Czechoslovakia, and the 1982 Indian Wells final.

I always felt that when Noah was on, he could disrupt Lendl's game with his net attacks. Lendl liked nothing better than to bash from the back of the court, whilst Noah was going to try to get to net. Not like Mac exactly, but similar strategy, generally speaking. He was always fun to watch, pre-Becker, in particular. then came boris rolling and tumbling all over the joint

 

[buscemi]

I always felt that when Noah was on, he could disrupt Lendl's game with his net attacks. Lendl liked nothing better than to bash from the back of the court, whilst Noah was going to try to get to net. Not like Mac exactly, but similar strategy, generally speaking. He was always fun to watch, pre-Becker, in particular. then came boris rolling and tumbling all over the joint

Very much like Cash, who beat Lendl at the 1987 Australian Open, 1987 Wimbledon, and the 1988 Australian Open doing just that. Even Baby Cash in 1984 had a match point against Lendl on Super Saturday at the 1984 U.S. Open before losing in a fifth set tiebreaker.

 

[Hard Court]

John Feinstein writes about this in Hard Courts. Noah and Lendl both played in the Sydney Outdoor event the week before the Australian Open. Noah beat Lendl in the QF on the way to taking the title, and Feinstein cites Lendl as taking it easy in that match to preserve himself for the AO while Noah went all out.

Playing five matches in the Australian summer heat the weak before the AO probably isn't the best idea. Noah had a tight five setter in the first round against Prpic and seemed to wear down as that semifinal with Lendl progressed, Noah's 11th match across the two events.

That is interesting. Read the book a long time ago; didn't recall that part. Hard to imagine Lendl not going all out. The heat in Australia that time of the year can be brutal.