By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, March 3, 2015

 

Lucie Safarova leads all WTA players in service games won and break points saved. We explore that and more in our latest Statisfaction.

Photo Source: Reuters

Before the Indian Wells-Miami double gets underway, we thought it would be a good time to analyze some of the statistics from the first two months of the WTA season. We’ve taken the top 22 players and analyzed their serve and return numbers, and come up with five noteworthy discoveries after doing so.

For Top 10 in All Categories, See WTA Match Stats Here

1. Lucie Safarova is serving hot

The Czech leads all WTA players in service games won (a ridiculous 86.8 percent) and percentage break points saved (71.4). She’s also fourth in the critical second-serve points won category (54.4). But the problem for Safarova is that she’s the only player in the top 22 who has won less than 30 percent of her return games. Her inability to eke out return games will inevitably affect her performance when the tour moves to clay this spring, where she’ll be less dominant on serve. Still, what a job from the service stripe. She’s outperformed even Serena Williams!

2. Only five players have won more than 40 percent of first-serve return points and four are in the Top 5

Everybody needs to be aggressive with the second-serve return and try to cause damage with it, but it takes a strong, savvy defender to win consistently against opponent’s best offering. That is what Serena Williams (40.1), Maria Sharapova (41.2) and Simona Halep (41.5) have done better than their Top-20 peers this year. Surprisingly, Sara Errani has the best percentage on first-serve return points in the Top-20, at 44.9.

3. Sara Errani is only 160 aces behind Karolina Pliskova

Yes, the Italian has one ace, while Pliskova has 161.

4. Maria Sharapova is terrorizing servers

In her 14 matches, Sharapova has managed to win 53.1 percent of her return games. She is only one of three players on tour to have broken their opponents more than half of the time. The other two? Sara Errani and Anna Schmiedlova.

5. Pliskova’s rise has happened against stiff competition

The world No. 15 is currently in 4th in the Road to Singapore standings, despite having played 10 of her 22 matches against the Top 20. Pliskova is 5-5 against the Top 20, and 2-2 against the Top 10. Speaking of Top 10 records, Venus Williams is the only player to have earned three wins against the Top 10 without a loss. Garbine Muguruza (3-2) and Carla Suarez Navarro (3-1) are the only other Top-22 players with three Top 10 wins.

Below is a table to the serve and return statistics for the WTA’s Top 22:

Use the following key to guide you:

RGW=Return Games Won
SGW=Service Games Won
1SPW=Percentage of first-serve points won
2SPW=Percentage of second-serve points won
1RPW=Percentage of first-serve return points won
2RPW=Percentage of second-serve return points won