Match Stats/Report - Moya vs Hewitt, Cincinnati final, 2002

[Waspsting]

Carlos Moya beat Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 7-6(5) in the Cincinnati final, 2002 on hard court

It would be Moya’s only hard court Masters title. Top seeded Hewitt had recently won Wimbledon and would end the year ranked #1

Moya won 91 points, Hewitt 81

(Note: I’m missing 1 game - Set 1, Game 9, a Moya service game that he won
4 points have been added to Moya’s points total, i.e. as if the missing game were to love, which is unconfirmed)

Serve Stats
Moya...
- 1st serve percentage (44/81) 54%
- 1st serve points won (30/44) 68%
- 2nd serve points won (18/37) 49%
- Aces 6 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/81) 25%

Hewitt...
- 1st serve percentage (35/87) 40%
- 1st serve points won (25/35) 71%
- 2nd serve points won (23/52) 44%
- Aces 8 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 5
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (25/87) 29%

Serve Patterns
Moya served...
- to FH 22%
- to BH 77%
- to Body 1%
(raw 17-60-1)

Hewitt served...
- to FH 50%
- to BH 43%
- to Body 7%

Return Stats
Moya made...
- 57 (51 FH, 6 BH), including 19 runaround FHs
- 17 Errors, comprising...
- 9 Unforced (9 FH), including 3 runaround FHs
- 8 Forced (3 FH, 5 BH)
- Return Rate (57/82) 70%

Hewitt made...
- 58 (17 FH, 41 BH), including 4 runaround FHs
- 14 Errors, comprising...
- 11 Unforced (2 FH, 9 BH)
- 3 Forced (1 FH, 2 BH)
- Return Rate (58/78) 74%

Break Points
Moya 4/12 (8 games)
Hewitt 3/11 (7 games)

Winners (excluding serves, including returns)
Moya 17 (10 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 BHOH)
Hewitt 13 (7 FH, 4 BH, 2 FHV)

Moya's FHs - 1 cc, 1 dtl, 2 inside-out (1 pass), 3 inside-in, 1 longline/down-the-middle, 2 drop shots
- BHs - 1 cc, 3 dtl (1 pass)

Hewitt's FHs - 1 cc, 3 dtl (1 pass), 1 inside-out, 1 inside-in, 1 longline
- BHs - 2 cc (1 pass), 2 dtl (1 pass)

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Moya 40
- 36 Unforced (25 FH, 8 BH, 3 FHV)
- 4 Forced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 48.1 (raw 16-11-9)

Hewitt 45
- 28 Unforced (15 FH, 11 BH, 1 FHV, 1 OH)
- 17 Forced (10 FH, 7 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 46.1 (raw 15-9-4)

(Note 1: all half-volleys refer to such shots played at net. Half -volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke counts)

(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
Moya was ...
- 11/18 (61%) at net with...
- 0/1 forced back

Hewitt was...
- 4/10 (40%) at net with...
- 0/1 retreated

Match Report
Pretty bad match. First three-quarters are low quality, but play picks up for the final phase, with caveat of Hewitt’s serve disappearing. Moya plays FHs as much as possible and is able to regulate action so that he’s able to almost all the time, from all parts of the court. Hewitt counter-punches off either wing, but always against Moya’s FH, which eventually, comes to dominate action. Court is normal

After 19 games (phase 1), and score 7-5, 2-5, Hewitt about to serve for the second set Moya has 6 winners, 28 UEs, Hewitt has 7 winners, 22 UEs (stats are missing for 1 Moya hold)

Remaining 6 games and a tiebreak (phase 2), Moya with 11 winners, 8 UEs, Hewitt 6 winners, 6 UEs
With Hewitt serving at 25% (in first phase, its still a not good 47%)

Hewitt has a run of missing 13 straight first serves. He’s broken fairly easily (to 15 and 30, before holding a deuce game), but is also a threat to break. Moya has to save 2 break points in each of his holds (8 and 12 points), the first 2 being set points also. And a good tiebreak to cap it all

Still, 3/4s a match where players have -22 and -15 winners/UE differential, amidst average quality action (at best) is a pretty bad match. Good ending shines a light on how bad its been earlier, rather than dazzles spectacularly. Its good tennis, at the end, no more - what you might expect for the whole match. Type of rallies are the same as earlier - Moya playing FHs in both courts, Hewitt dual winged. While they’d blinked up errors to end those rallies earlier, they play to someone finishing aggressively now

15/24 regular games have break points in them. Would be high even for clay, though its not a fast court here. Its not slow either, let alone clay court slow

Serving is below average, returning average at best

Moya’s serves normal paced, in swing zone first serves. He’s got 5 aces or decent 11% of first serves. Those aside, virtually never does Hewitt have to move more than a step to return. His wrapping up match with a big, wide, error forcing first serve serve brings home how rarely he’s sent down anything other than routine. At 54% in count, that calibre serving isn’t an asset

11/14 return errors he’s drawn have been marked UEs; routine, in-swing serves that Hewitt misses. From Hewitt’s point of view, tends to miss the regulation returns around important times; he knows it too, and bounces racquet on ground and shows other signs of self-annoyance at such times

Hewitt with just slightly better quality first serve and he’s got 7 aces or 20% of first serves. At 40% first serves in.

The much higher ace rate is deceptive because 3 come in span of 4 points (the other forces a return error), which is good to hold one game (albeit, 1 where he’s in trouble, down 15-40). Call it an outlier flurry. Sans that spell of 4 serves, his first serve ace rate is 10%, even lower than Moya’s. It is a better serve, and he’s forced 8 return errors, as opposed to 3 by Moya, but point is, its not worth 40% in count

Its not everyday you see someone with 51 FH returns, 6 BHs like Moya has. Hewitt serves healthy 43% to his BH, which is small relative to standard operating procedure. Moya has 19 runaround FH returns. Any chance he gets, in either court, moves over to play FH return

Moya preferring FH returning that much and Hewitt directing 50% serves to FH. Would think someone has got it wrong here, but its not actually clear

6/9 Moya return UEs are to serves directed at FH (the other 3 are runaround FHs), but 5/8 FEs are BHs. Some justification for Hewitt serving so much to FH then. Moya is better at making the tough, wide return to FH, but more apt to give up the routine error off that side too

Unreurtned serves - Moya 25%, Hewitt 29% is nutshell summary of serve-return contest

From Hewitt the returner’s point of view, a mixed outcome with good things canelling out bad (as opposed to uniformly equal). He’d take 74% return rate going into the match and it’s a fine platform for getting into return games. But lot of routine errors there, high enough lot at important times that the word ‘choke’ suggests itself even

For Hewitt the server, 29% freebies is excellent, given 40% in count
Better not to have 40% in count in the first place. Pretty average first serving from him even just limited to quality, without that horrendous in count

If he’s got Moya’s UEs to thank for pretty good freebie yield, he’s also faced with some powerful returns. For Moya the returner, gives up fair few return errors, and is worth it for fair few pressuring returns. He usually keeps it to just ‘pressuring’ with all those runaround FHs - hefty swipe down the middle, or a little wider and just as often, just a routine return

Winners - Moya 17, Hewitt 13
Errors forced - Moya 17, Hewitt 4
UEs - Moya 36, Hewitt 28

 

[Waspsting]

In phase 1 -
Moya with 6 winners, 14 errors forced, 28 UEs
Hewitt 7 winners, 2 errors forced, 22 UEs

In phase 2 -
Moya with 11 winners, 3 errors forced, 8 UEs
Hewitt 6 winners, 2 errors forced, 6 UEs

Winners/UE differential -
- phase 1 - Moya -22, Hewitt -15
- phase 2 - Moya +3, Hewitt 0

Day and night difference in quality. Nature of action doesn’t change
If standard stuff is cc exchanges with odd longline change-up, action in this match differs in that Moya’s always playing FHs

So stock rallies are FH-FH and Moya FH inside-out vs Hewitt BH cc
Neutral rallies, normal good hitting. Nothing too powerful, nothing too wide. Both players free to edge themselves into attacking, neither doing so much because one or the other pops out the error first. That’s phase 1

Same type of action, but now, both players getting on attack (especially Moya) in phase 2

Hewitt very rarely attacks BH dtl. At most, cc from corner down middle of court (as opposed to near the sideline). Moya continues playing FHs as much as he can against Hewitt’s BH cc stock.

Moya does change-up FH inside-in’ish to give Hewitt running FH sometimes. Hewitt’s not good at these and tends to give up error. Not easy ones, but for him, would expect better consistency on this shot. Moya rarely goes full out attacking with FH inside-out, but does hit well enough that BH dtl counter wouldn’t be easy and Hewitt doesn’t take on anything that isn’t easy

FH cc rallies are quite good, with odd edgily wide shot (Moya more). The error rate isn’t though and its below par tennis for that reason

In phase 2, Moya comes to dominate with his flowy FH, which has 7 winners, 5 UEs in the phase (Hewitt has 4 and 4, so not too far behind)

Match long BH UEs read Moya 8, Hewitt 11. That’s a win for Hewitt, seeing his BH is in thick of things and reacting to Moya’s stronger FH inside-out majority of time
FH UEs are Moya 25, Hewitt 15. That’s an even outcome, given how each plays. And UEs are heart of phase 1

Match long errors forced - Moya 17, Hewitt 4, related to…
Net points - Moya 11/18, Hewitt 4/10

Hewitt forces 2 FH and 2 BH errors. On both wings, 1 pass, 1 regular
Moya forces 10 FH errors (7 regular, 3 passes), 7 BHs (2 regular, 5 passes)

7 FH FEs in baseline rallies is substantial. That’s Hewitt’s not being too good on the running FH. Moya drawing such errors with both FH inside-in and wider FH cc’s. Hewitt not able to get similar, wide attacking FH cc’s off

Moya with a nice, jumpy FH dtl approach shot tha the uses to attack occasionally all match. Good shots and he earns his BH passing errors with it

Purely from baseline, Moya with 12 winners (9 FHs), forcing 9 errors. Hewitt has 8 winners (6 FHs), forcing just 2 errors. And UEs reading Moya 33 (25 FHs), Hewitt 26 (15 FH)
Standard, one player more aggressive, other more consistent deal. The negligible FEs of Moya most gets to how content Hewitt is to counter-punch or just rally, rarely taking a chance

Neutral UEs are virtually equal (Moya 16, Hewitt 15), so if there’s though behind Hewitt’s content showing, its counting on Moya messing up attacking (as opposed to confidence in his ability to outlast Moya trading groundies)

Attacking UEs - Moya 11, Hewitt 9. In light of errors forced (Moya 17, Hewitt 4), that’s very poor from Hewitt. Its not that he’s utterly passive, but that he misses when midly trying to attack. Moya much more successful when doing so, without setting the sky alight

Winner attempt UEs - Moya 9, Hewitt 4… normal cost of going for shots for Moya, he gets more value than the cost. Hewitt’s passivity again coming through

All those Moya FH inside-out to Hewitt’s BH rallies… another opponent, and you could see a spate of BH dtl winners and winner attempt misses

The net points (Moya 18, Hewitt 10), complete picture of play. Moya not averse to attacking net with good FH dtl approaches, Hewitt rarely. If anything, 10 approaches are higher than what his play looks like, small though it is in 2 long sets. He doesn't even approach when he's forcing Moya back from net

Match Progression
7/12 games in first set have break points in them. Including the first 3

First game of match, Hewitt misses routine BH return to first serve on break point. And misses routine second return point after, before Moya holds
Second game is filled with FH errors and Moya raises two break points with a winning BH dtl. Blinks up FH UE on first one and Hewitt serves his way to hold
Hewitt breaks for 2-1 in 6 point game. An ace and 5 FH UEs - 3 of them third ball shots

Set carries on in similar vein. Hewitt double faults twice to give back break in time. Some luck for Moya in the game too, when his pass pops up off net chord, forcing an awkward shot and a retreat from Hewitt, though Moya does defend very well in the point prior too

There’s a lengthy rain break at 4-4. More than half the crow are gone by the time play resumes

Another Hewitt double puts him down 15-40 and 2 set points at 4-5. Next 4 points are 3 aces and a hard forced return error

Moya breaks to end the set awhile alter. Strong FH inside-in sets up opening point for him, which he finishes with a drop shot winner. Hewitt with a horror OH miss after that
Game ends awhile later - just good enough runaround FH line return to draw BH error. Its been marked an FE, its makeable. Hewitt with against trend attempt at FH dtl winner, that he misses ends the set

Moya loses 1 service point for his first 2 holds, sandwiching an error-riddled return game where he has break point (he misses a chancey FH winner attempt on it) to take 2-1 lead in second set

Hewitt wins next 4 games. For his 2 holds, he makes 5/16 first serves. In the second of the games, Moya strikes a running BH dtl winner and few points after, Hewitt nails a BH dtl winner against a FH inside-out. The two shots stand out like sore thumbs for how rare the shot choices are

UEs fill up the 2 games Hewitt breaks in. First one FHs, second one couple of FHV ones from Moya (Hewitt has 1 too) and an attacking FH inside-in’ish shot on break point

Thus starts the final, and high quality part of the match, with Hewitt serving at 5-2
Hewitt’s in count in it is 6/25, but he plays well off the ground. Moya plays better still

Big runaround FH return sets up a smacked FH winner and 2 very winning FHs (inside-in and cc) force errors and get Moya first break
He starts second break game with drop FHV winner set up by big FH and ends it with a FH dtl winner after a series of bullying FHs

Its not one sided, and Moya’s 2 holds in the period last 8 and 12 points, and he has to save 2 break points in each of them (the first 2 also set points). FH winners save him from 15-40 down (third ball and fifth ball winners) first time. Hewitt makes a mess of routine second game - routine first return misses on both break points, and he misses another routine one right after the second one, before another Moya FH inside-in winner takes him to 6-5

The last regular game is a good one too, lasting 8 points, Hewitt ending it with a BH dtl pass winner after being bossed about from baseline

Tiebreak. Moya misses adventurous FH drop shot and FH dtl/inside-out winner attempt to fall behind 0-2

Wins next 5 points with some style - winning FH inside-in, BH dtl pass winner against a good FH inside-out, an ace, a delightful FH drop shot shot winner and the best, coming away with a net-to-net BHOH winner after running down a drop shot

Moya attempts to manufacture approach with BH slice but misses and Hewitt strikes FH inside-out winner, to put things back on serve at 5-4

Hewitt lands a second serve ace; its always been a possibility, with Moya premeditating back-away FH returns so often. But double faults after that
Moya sends down one of his best serves to end the match

Summing up, good ending to an otherwise bad match

Three-quarters of it feature average serving, normal quality groundstrokes at below par consistency from both players. Moya playing FHs much as possible, Hewitt staying dual winged and equal (bad) consistency keeping players level, with whoever is less bad getting ahead a little

Final quarter is high quality, especially from Moya, whose FH comes alive and dominates proceedings. If 1/4 of a match is going to be good, best for it to be the last bit