Alex Zverev beat Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-3 in the Cincinnati final, 2021 on hard court
It was Zverev’s first title at the event and Rublev’s first hard court Masters final. Zverev had recently won the Olympics
Zverev won 58 points, Rublev 36
Serve Stats
Zverev...
- 1st serve percentage (28/39) 72%
- 1st serve points won (26/28) 93%
- 2nd serve points won (5/11) 45%
- Aces 6
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/39) 51%
Rublev...
- 1st serve percentage (39/55) 71%
- 1st serve points won (26/39) 67%
- 2nd serve points won (2/16) 13%
- Aces 11, Service Winners 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/55) 36%
Serve Patterns
Zverev served...
- to FH 43%
- to BH 57%
Rublev served...
- to FH 40%
- to BH 55%
- to Body 5%
Return Stats
Zverev made...
- 35 (13 FH, 22 BH)
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 2 Unforced (2 FH)
- 6 Forced (5 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (35/55) 64%
Rublev made...
- 15 (5 FH, 10 BH)
- 14 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- 7 Forced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (15/35) 43%
Break Points
Zverev 5/10 (5 games)
Rublev 1/1
Winners (excluding serves, including returns)
Zverev 10 (6 FH, 2 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
Rublev 7 (5 FH, 1 BH, 1 FHV)
Zverev's FHs - 2 cc, 1 dtl/inside-out, 1 inside-out, 2 inside-in (1 return)
- BHs - 1 dtl/inside-out, 1 inside-in/cc
Rublev's FHs - 2 cc (1 at net), 1 cc/inside-in, 1 inside-in at net, 1 inside-in/longline (probably not clean)
- BH - 1 net chord dribbler
- the FHV was a non-net, swinging inside-out
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Zverev 5
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 4 Forced (1 FH, 3 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 50
Rublev 28
- 18 Unforced (12 FH, 6 BH)
- 10 Forced (6 FH, 4 BH)... with 1 BH running-down-drop-shot at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44.4
(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
Zverev was 4/4 (100%) at net
Rublev was 3/4 (75%) at net
Match Report
Baseline match, Zverev plays solidly strong, Rublev plays sloppily badly, Zverev’s serve is too much for Rublev to handle and Zverev wins easily, QED. Court is quickish
Key stats -
- Zver with 51% unreturend serves (Rublev has deceptively healthy 36%)
- Zver with 1 lousy UE (Rublev has 18)
- Rub winning 13% 2nd serve points
Solidly strong serving from Zver, and Rub not upto handling it
Not bad serving from Rub either (in context of his having an average serve), Zver not too bothered by it, particularly when he has reason not to be
In counts are similar (Zver 72%, Rub 71%). From there -
- 1st serve ace/service winner rate - Zver 21%, Rub 31%
- unreturned serves - Zver 51%, Rub 36%
The gap between ace rate and unreturneds is surprising. 31% from Rub is extremely high, up in Isner-Karlovic territory and in that light, 36% unreturneds is small
Practically, the high ace rate doesn’t matter. Rub’s down 4-0 in first set before he fires 5 aces in his next 2 holds. And he goes down a break to start the 2nd set (only point he wins is with sole service winner)
Zver breaks 5 times in 9 games, including break to start both sets (once going onto to add a second break right after), and returns comfily in those games. The 4 games Rub holds is filled with aces and are easy affairs - but he’s already down 1 or 2 breaks by then
Just 2 unretunables from Rube in the 5 games he’s broken to go with 10 in the 4 holds. No overt tanking of those games from Zver, but he’s probably not too keyed in; he’s up breaks and holding very easily
When he is keyed in, nice, comfy returning from Zver from well-back. Typically easy, sometimes sweeping return irksomely wide, occasionally very deep. Also, a spanked FH inside-in winner. Despite the high ace count, its an average serve, and Zver deals with it accordingly. Just 1 BH error (which faces 55% of the serves), but FH (which has 7 errors) are the more, damaging deep ones
On flip side, Rub not upto handling Zver’s contained, but strong serving
Zver not going all in on power. Its normal for him to not go too wide and here, he doesn’t need to. In swing zone 1st serves or coverabel by a step (and Rub’s in well-back position to return also) are enough to draw errors
Rub’s aced 6 times and has 14 reurn errors, split 7-7 across UE-FE lines
UEs are relatively not-easy. Routine returns against a hefty serve in reach. He’s a little slow to react and move for the return too
All that leads to 51% unreturneds. Rub’s return rate is even lower 43%, with Zver double faulting very high 36% of 2nd serves, but again, in context of 72% in count, not too important
If Zver’s returns are neutralizing, Rub’s tend to leave Zver with initiative. Not often a strong initiative where Zver might look to dispatch third ball winner, but enough to be building on. And does he build on it. Sans double faults, he wins 31/35 service points
It was Zverev’s first title at the event and Rublev’s first hard court Masters final. Zverev had recently won the Olympics
Zverev won 58 points, Rublev 36
Serve Stats
Zverev...
- 1st serve percentage (28/39) 72%
- 1st serve points won (26/28) 93%
- 2nd serve points won (5/11) 45%
- Aces 6
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/39) 51%
Rublev...
- 1st serve percentage (39/55) 71%
- 1st serve points won (26/39) 67%
- 2nd serve points won (2/16) 13%
- Aces 11, Service Winners 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/55) 36%
Serve Patterns
Zverev served...
- to FH 43%
- to BH 57%
Rublev served...
- to FH 40%
- to BH 55%
- to Body 5%
Return Stats
Zverev made...
- 35 (13 FH, 22 BH)
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 8 Errors, comprising...
- 2 Unforced (2 FH)
- 6 Forced (5 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (35/55) 64%
Rublev made...
- 15 (5 FH, 10 BH)
- 14 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- 7 Forced (4 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (15/35) 43%
Break Points
Zverev 5/10 (5 games)
Rublev 1/1
Winners (excluding serves, including returns)
Zverev 10 (6 FH, 2 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV)
Rublev 7 (5 FH, 1 BH, 1 FHV)
Zverev's FHs - 2 cc, 1 dtl/inside-out, 1 inside-out, 2 inside-in (1 return)
- BHs - 1 dtl/inside-out, 1 inside-in/cc
Rublev's FHs - 2 cc (1 at net), 1 cc/inside-in, 1 inside-in at net, 1 inside-in/longline (probably not clean)
- BH - 1 net chord dribbler
- the FHV was a non-net, swinging inside-out
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Zverev 5
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 4 Forced (1 FH, 3 BH)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 50
Rublev 28
- 18 Unforced (12 FH, 6 BH)
- 10 Forced (6 FH, 4 BH)... with 1 BH running-down-drop-shot at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 44.4
(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
Zverev was 4/4 (100%) at net
Rublev was 3/4 (75%) at net
Match Report
Baseline match, Zverev plays solidly strong, Rublev plays sloppily badly, Zverev’s serve is too much for Rublev to handle and Zverev wins easily, QED. Court is quickish
Key stats -
- Zver with 51% unreturend serves (Rublev has deceptively healthy 36%)
- Zver with 1 lousy UE (Rublev has 18)
- Rub winning 13% 2nd serve points
Solidly strong serving from Zver, and Rub not upto handling it
Not bad serving from Rub either (in context of his having an average serve), Zver not too bothered by it, particularly when he has reason not to be
In counts are similar (Zver 72%, Rub 71%). From there -
- 1st serve ace/service winner rate - Zver 21%, Rub 31%
- unreturned serves - Zver 51%, Rub 36%
The gap between ace rate and unreturneds is surprising. 31% from Rub is extremely high, up in Isner-Karlovic territory and in that light, 36% unreturneds is small
Practically, the high ace rate doesn’t matter. Rub’s down 4-0 in first set before he fires 5 aces in his next 2 holds. And he goes down a break to start the 2nd set (only point he wins is with sole service winner)
Zver breaks 5 times in 9 games, including break to start both sets (once going onto to add a second break right after), and returns comfily in those games. The 4 games Rub holds is filled with aces and are easy affairs - but he’s already down 1 or 2 breaks by then
Just 2 unretunables from Rube in the 5 games he’s broken to go with 10 in the 4 holds. No overt tanking of those games from Zver, but he’s probably not too keyed in; he’s up breaks and holding very easily
When he is keyed in, nice, comfy returning from Zver from well-back. Typically easy, sometimes sweeping return irksomely wide, occasionally very deep. Also, a spanked FH inside-in winner. Despite the high ace count, its an average serve, and Zver deals with it accordingly. Just 1 BH error (which faces 55% of the serves), but FH (which has 7 errors) are the more, damaging deep ones
On flip side, Rub not upto handling Zver’s contained, but strong serving
Zver not going all in on power. Its normal for him to not go too wide and here, he doesn’t need to. In swing zone 1st serves or coverabel by a step (and Rub’s in well-back position to return also) are enough to draw errors
Rub’s aced 6 times and has 14 reurn errors, split 7-7 across UE-FE lines
UEs are relatively not-easy. Routine returns against a hefty serve in reach. He’s a little slow to react and move for the return too
All that leads to 51% unreturneds. Rub’s return rate is even lower 43%, with Zver double faulting very high 36% of 2nd serves, but again, in context of 72% in count, not too important
If Zver’s returns are neutralizing, Rub’s tend to leave Zver with initiative. Not often a strong initiative where Zver might look to dispatch third ball winner, but enough to be building on. And does he build on it. Sans double faults, he wins 31/35 service points