Clean Winners: the best indicator of who will win the pickleball match

I looked at the stats for the last three years of the PPA Women’s Doubles Finals (Since the start of 2023, missing only two events). 

More “Clean Winners” seems obvious.

Rally-ending shots that did not hit the opponent’s paddle or the net. The team with the most Clean Winners also won the match 76.3 percent of the time, excluding ties.

What about not making simple mistakes, similar to what Tennis calls “unforced errors?” One objective category in pickleball is balls hit into the net or wide on Serves, Returns, Thirds and Dinks. The team that had the fewest of those combined errors also won the match 74.6 percent of the time. Within this category, the team that had fewer dinks into the net or wide also won the match 78.6 percent of the time, excluding ties.

Yes, Clean Winners are wonderful. Everyone loves a nice put-away. However, being relentlessly consistent on these fundamental shots also matters.

Two recent examples of Clean Winners in pickleball matches: 

•  At the World Championships, Bright and Waters had more Clean Winners than Parenteau and Todd, 20-6, and also fewer errors on Serves, Returns, Thirds and Dinks, 9-3. 
•  At the Lakeland Open, more of the same. More Clean Winners, 12-9, and fewer errors on Serves, Returns, Thirds and Dinks, 16-4.

Thank you to Anna Bright, communication with whom led to this study.