Stats-Wrap: Arizona Grand Slam Finals

A look at the statistics from the gold medal matches at the PPA Arizona Grand Slam in Mesa, Arizona, on February 19, 2023.

A few of the Sunday Standouts: 

• Anna Leigh Waters’ singles winning streak continues.
• Federico Staksrud had an 11-0 “pickle” in the second game of the Singles Final.
• Riley Newman, combining the Men’s Final and Mixed Final, attempted 114 third shot drops and missed only one into the net.
• The Women’s Doubles Final had 151 serves and returns without any errors.

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The matches appear in the following order:

• Women’s Singles
• Men’s Singles
• Women’s Doubles
• Men’s Doubles
• Mixed Doubles

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***STATS BREAKDOWN***

PPA Arizona Grand Slam, Mesa Arizona, February 19, 2023.

WOMEN’S SINGLES Final: Anna Leigh Waters defeated Lea Jansen, 11-5, 11-5.

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CLEAN WINNERS: (No net-cord, no opponent’s paddle).

Waters: 12, including 1 on the third shot.

Jansen: 12, including 2 on the third shot.

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ERRORS on SERVE, RETURN, THIRD SHOT:

Waters: 7.

Jansen: 9.

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BASELINE DRIVES INTO THE NET:

Waters: 2.

Jansen: 9.

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LONGEST RALLY: 14 shots.

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GAME POINTS:

Waters : Won 2 out of 6.

Jansen: none.

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TIME OUTS: Did the team that called time out win the next rally? (excluding video reviews)

Waters: Won 2, Lost 0.

Jansen: Won 1, Lost 3.

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MATCH NOTES:

Jansen beat Waters in the finals of the Orange County Cup in June 2021. Since then, Waters has beaten Jansen in ten straight gold medal matches.

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***STATS BREAKDOWN***

PPA Arizona Grand Slam, Mesa Arizona, February 19, 2023.

MEN’S SINGLES Final: Federico Staksrud defeated Jay Devilliers, 11-2, 11-0.

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CLEAN WINNERS: (No net-cord, no opponent’s paddle).

Devilliers: 8, including 0 on the third shot.

Staksrud: 19, including 5 on the third shot.

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ERRORS on SERVE, RETURN, THIRD SHOT:

Devilliers: 5

Staksrud: 2

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HIGHLIGHT REEL:

Game Two, 4-0, Devilliers Erne.

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LONGEST RALLY: 24 shots. (Game One, 2-2.)

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GAME POINTS:

Devilliers: none.

Staksrud: Won 2 out of 3.

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TIME OUTS: Did the team that called time out win the next rally? (excluding video reviews)

Devilliers: Won 2, Lost 1.

Staksrud: none.

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DVR ALERT:

Match-high 24-shot rally, Game One, 2-2.

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MATCH NOTES:

Staksrud has opened this year silver-silver-gold in Men’s Singles..

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PPA Arizona Grand Slam, Mesa Arizona, February 19, 2023.
WOMEN’S DOUBLES Final: Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters defeated Jessie Irvine and Jackie Kawamoto, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1, 11-3.
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RALLIES:
1,890 shots.
151 rallies.
12.5 shots per rally.
37.7 rallies per game.
69/151 rallies were 9 shots or less. (46%)
82/151 rallies were 10 shots or more. (54%)

Shortest: 1 shot (0), 2 shots (0), 3 shots (11), 4 shots (5).
(8% of the rallies were four shots or fewer.)

Longest: 50, 46, 33.
(7 rallies were 30 shots or more. 25 were 20+.)
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THIRD SHOTS:
Bright: 57 drops,21 drives. (73% drops)
Waters: 3 drops, 4 drives. (43% drops)
Bright/Waters: 60 drops, 25 drives. (70% drops)
Kawamoto: 3 drops, 3 drives. (50% drops)
Irvine: 54 drops, 6 drives (90% drops)
Kawamoto/Irvine: 57 drops, 9 drives. (86% drops)
Third Shot Totals:117 drops, 34 drives (77% drops)
***Missed Serves/Returns/Third Shots***
Bright: (3). 2 third shot drives-long, 1 third shot drop-net.

Waters: (none).

Kawamoto: (none).

Irvine: (5). 4 third shot drops-net, 1 third shot drive-long.
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***Third Shots Kept “In Play”***

Bright: 78/81 = 96.2%

Waters: 7/7 = 100%

Kawamoto: 6/6 = 100%

Irvine: 60/65 = 92.3%
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SPEED-UPS:
I counted the instances when a regular dinking rally or dinking opportunity was accelerated, and that shot or the ensuing hand-battle led directly to the end of the rally. (therefore, not including speedups that were eventually re-set during the same rally, or when a team became clearly defensive.) Here are those “starts”, and the ensuing result for that -team-.

Bright: initiated and won 9, initiated and lost 7.
Waters: initiated and won 10, initiated and lost 7.
Bright/Waters: initiated and won 19, initiated and lost 14. (57% success)
Kawamoto: initiated and won 4, initiated and lost 7.
Irvine: initiated and won 5, initiated and lost 6.
Kawamoto/Irvine: initiated and won 9, initiated and lost 13. (41% success rate)
Speed-up Totals: In the instances I counted, the team that initiated the speed-up won 28 and lost 27, for a 51% success rate.
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DINKS INTO THE NET OR WIDE: (Unstressed, “regular” dinks. Not speed-ups, blocks, etc.)

Bright: 2

Waters: 4

Kawamoto: 5

Irvine: 4
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RALLIES ENDING IN THREE SHOTS OR LESS (excluding winners): 8

GOOD FUNDAMENTALS: The two categories above accounted for only 15% of the rallies.
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CLEAN WINNERS: (No net-cord, no opponent’s paddle).
Bright: 9

Waters: 12

Kawamoto: 5

Irvine: 5
(20% of the rallies ended with a clean winner)
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HIGHLIGHT REEL: (ATPs, Ernes, etc.)
Bright: 2 Ernes.

Waters: 1 ATP.

Kawamoto: 1 ATP defended.

Irvine: none.
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OFFENSIVE LOBS: 9.

Bright: (3). 2 out, 1 in (lost rally).

Waters: (2). 1 in (won rally), 1 in (lost rally).

Kawamoto: (3). 1 in (won rally), 1 in (lost rally), 1 out.

Irvine: (1). 1 out.
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VOLLEYS INTO THE NET:
Bright: 7

Waters: 5

Kawamoto: 7

Irvine: 5
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GAME POINTS:
Bright/Waters: Won 3 out of 6.
Kawamoto/Irvine: Won 1 out of 2.
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TIME OUTS: Did the team that called time out win the next rally? (excluding video reviews)

Bright/Waters: Won 2, Lost 0.
Kawamoto/Irvine: Won 2, Lost 2.
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DVR ALERT:

• Game Two, 3-0-2, Waters catches a drive cleanly in her left hand. (odd play, crowd was amused)
• Game Four, 1-5-1, 46-shot rally.
• Game Four, 10-3-2, Match-ending and match-high 50-shot rally.

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MATCH NOTES:

• 151 serves and returns, all kept in play. That’s rare.
• Kawamoto/Irvine won Game Two 11-7 after trailing 0-6.
• Kawamoto/Irvine beat Kovalova/Smith in the semifinals.

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***STATS BREAKDOWN***
PPA Arizona Grand Slam, Mesa Arizona, February 19, 2023.
MEN’S DOUBLES Final: Ben Johns and Collin Johns defeated Riley Newman and Matt Wright, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 14-12.
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RALLIES:
1,941 shots.
166 rallies.
11.7 shots per rally.
41.5 rallies per game.
96/166 rallies were 9 shots or less. (58%)
70/166 rallies were 10 shots or more. (42%)

Shortest: 1 shot (0), 2 shots (5), 3 shots (6), 4 shots 10).
(12.6% of the rallies were four shots or fewer.)

Longest: 97, 54, 48, 47.
(10 rallies were 30 shots or more. 22 were 20+.)
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THIRD SHOTS:
Collin Johns: 20 drops, 8 drives. (71% drops)
Ben Johns: 21 drops, 34 drives. (38% drops)
Johns/Johns: 41 drops, 42 drives. (49% drops)
Wright: 12 drops, 1 drives. (92% drops)
Newman: 43 drops, 20 drives (68% drops)
Wright/Newman: 55 drops, 21 drives. (72% drops)
Third Shot Totals: 96 drops, 63 drives (60% drops)
(two third shots were not on camera)

***Missed Serves/Returns/Third Shots***

Collin Johns: (4). 2 returns-long, 1 return-net, 1 third shot drive-wide.

Ben Johns: (1). 1 third shot drive-net.

Matt Wright: (3). 1 return-long, 1 return-net, 1 third shot drive-long.

Riley Newman: (3). 2 third shot drives-long, 1 third shot drive-wide.

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***Third Shots Kept “In Play”***
Collin Johns: 28/29 = 96.5%

Ben Johns: 55/56 = 98.2%

Matt Wright: 13/14 = 92.8%

Riley Newman: 63/66 = 95.5%

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SPEED-UPS:
I counted the instances when a regular dinking rally or dinking opportunity was accelerated, and that shot or the ensuing hand-battle led directly to the end of the rally. (therefore, not including speedups that were eventually re-set during the same rally, or when a team became clearly defensive.) Here are those “starts”, and the ensuing result for that -team-.

Collin Johns: initiated and won 4, initiated and lost 1.
Ben Johns: initiated and won 9, initiated and lost 9.
Johns/Johns: initiated and won 13, initiated and lost 10. (56% success)
Wright: initiated and won 8, initiated and lost 14.
Newman: initiated and won 17, initiated and lost 12.
Wright/Newman: initiated and won 25, initiated and lost 26. (49% success rate)
Speed-up Totals: In the instances I counted, the team that initiated the speed-up won 38 and lost 36, for a 51% success rate.
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DINKS INTO THE NET OR WIDE: (Unstressed, “regular” dinks. Not speed-ups, blocks, etc.).
Collin Johns: 1

Ben Johns: 3

Matt Wright: 4

Riley Newman: 2

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RALLIES ENDING IN THREE SHOTS OR LESS (excluding winners): 11.

GOOD FUNDAMENTALS: The two categories above accounted for only 12.6% of the rallies.
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CLEAN WINNERS: (No net-cord, no opponent’s paddle).
Collin Johns: 12

Ben Johns: 23

Matt Wright: 15

Riley Newman: 9

(35% of the rallies ended with a clean winner)
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HIGHLIGHT REEL: (ATPs, Ernes, etc.)
Collin Johns: 1 ATP defended, 4 Ernes, 1 Erne defended, 2 lefty shots.

Ben Johns: 1 ATP, 5 Ernes, 1 Erne defended.

Matt Wright: 1 ATP, 2 Ernes, 3 Ernes defended.

Riley Newman: 1 ATP defended, 2 Ernes, 2 Ernes defended, 1 lefty shot.

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OFFENSIVE LOBS: none.

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VOLLEYS INTO THE NET:
Collin Johns: 9

Ben Johns: 7

Matt Wright: 9

Riley Newman: 5

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GAME POINTS:
Johns/Johns: Won 3 out of 5.
Wright/Newman: Won 1 out of 5. (Had three game points in Game Four and did not convert)
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TIME OUTS: Did the team that called time out win the next rally? (excluding video reviews)
Johns/Johns: Won 1, Lost 3.
Wright/Newman: Won 1, Lost 2.
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DVR ALERT:

• Game One, 5-5-1: 48-shot rally.
• Game Two, 0-0-1: Wright defends a point-blank Erne with a bang-bang winner.
• Game Three, 2-5-1: a wild, scrambling rally.
• Game Four, 0-0-2: a 13-volley hands-battle.
• Game Four, 10-9-1: a match-high 97-shot rally on a championship point.
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MATCH NOTES:

• Newman and Wright had game points but lost the game, and subsequently the match, both in this event and at the Desert Ridge Open.
• Johns and Johns have won four straight tournaments, the longest streak in this division since record-keeping started in August 2020.
• Odd streak: Newman or Ben Johns has been a part of every men’s doubles gold medal-winning team since October 2021.

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***STATS BREAKDOWN***
PPA Arizona Grand Slam, Mesa Arizona, February 19, 2023.
MIXED DOUBLES Final: Anna Bright and Riley Newman defeated Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4.
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RALLIES:
2,368 shots.
196 rallies.
12.1 shots per rally.
39.2 rallies per game.
100/196 rallies were 9 shots or less. (51%)
96/196 rallies were 10 shots or more. (49%)

Shortest: 1 shot (0), 2 shots (4), 3 shots (8.), 4 shots (7).
(9.7% of the rallies were four shots or fewer.)

Longest: 49, 47, 38.
(8 rallies were 30 shots or more. 36 were 20+.)
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THIRD SHOTS:
Jorja Johnson: 25 drops, 14 drives. (64% drops)
JW Johnson: 44 drops, 7 drives. (86% drops)
Johnson/Johnson: 69 drops, 21 drives. (76% drops)
Bright: 14 drops, 3 drives. (82% drops)
Newman: 70 drops, 14 drives (83% drops)
Bright/Newman: 84 drops, 17 drives. (83% drops)
Third Shot Totals: 153 drops, 38 drives (80% drops)(one, no tv)
***Missed Serves/Returns/Third Shots***

Jorja Johnson: (3). 1 return-long, 1 third shot drive-net, 1 third shot drop-net.

JW Johnson: (3). 2 returns-net, 1 third shot drop-net.

Anna Bright: (2). 2 third shot drops-net.

Riley Newman: (2). 1 return-long, 1 third shot drop-net.

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***Third Shots Kept “In Play”***
Jorja Johnson: 39/41 = 95.1%

JW Johnson: 51/52 = 98.1%

Anna Bright: 17/19 = 89.5%

Riley Newman: 84/85 = 98.8%

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SPEED-UPS:
I counted the instances when a regular dinking rally or dinking opportunity was accelerated, and that shot or the ensuing hand-battle led directly to the end of the rally. (therefore, not including speedups that were eventually re-set during the same rally, or when a team became clearly defensive.) Here are those “starts”, and the ensuing result for that -team-.

Jorja Johnson: initiated and won 13, initiated and lost 14.
JW Johnson: initiated and won 12, initiated and lost 10.
Johnson/Johnson: initiated and won 25, initiated and lost 24. (51% success)
Bright: initiated and won 8, initiated and lost 8.
Newman: initiated and won 25, initiated and lost 18.
Bright/Newman: initiated and won 33, initiated and lost 26. (56% success rate)
Speed-up Totals: In the instances I counted, the team that initiated the speed-up won 58 and lost 50, for a 53.7% success rate.
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DINKS INTO THE NET OR WIDE: (Unstressed, “regular” dinks. Not speed-ups, blocks, etc.)

Jorja Johnson: 9

JW Johnson: 5

Anna Bright: 5

Riley Newman: 3
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RALLIES ENDING IN THREE SHOTS OR LESS (excluding winners): 11.

GOOD FUNDAMENTALS: The two categories above accounted for only 17% of the rallies.
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CLEAN WINNERS: (No net-cord, no opponent’s paddle).
Jorja Johnson: 12

JW Johnson: 22

Anna Bright: 4

Riley Newman: 19

(29% of the rallies ended with a clean winner)
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HIGHLIGHT REEL: (ATPs, Ernes, etc.)
Jorja Johnson: 2 ATPs.

JW Johnson: 4 Ernes.

Anna Bright: 1 ATP, 1 Erne defended.

Riley Newman: 1 Erne, 1 Erne defended, 3 lefty shots.

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OFFENSIVE LOBS: none.
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VOLLEYS INTO THE NET:
Jorja Johnson: 15

JW Johnson: 9

Anna Bright: 12

Riley Newman: 4

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GAME POINTS:
Johnson/Johnson: Won 2 out of 3.
Bright/Newman: Won 3 out of 10.
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TIME OUTS: Did the team that called time out win the next rally? (excluding video reviews)
Johnson/Johnson: Won 2, Lost 2.
Bright/Newman: Won 0, Lost 1.
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DVR ALERT:

• Game One, 4-0-2: JW Johnson “Double Erne.”
• Game 1, 7-8-2: 47-shot rally.
• Game Three, 3-2-2: match-high 49-shot rally.

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MATCH NOTES:

• First PPA title for the Bright/Newman team.
• First PPA final for Jorja Johnson.
• Johnson/Johnson, the #8 seeds, beat top-seeded Waters/Johns in the quarterfinals.