Kimberly Birrell vs Suzan Lamens: Osaka Final Analysis (WTA 250)
Lamens secured a maiden Tour title as forehands created most of the difference
This season, Suzan Lamens (WTA #132) keeps climbing the tennis ladder, step after step.
Starting the year outside the Top-200, at #211, Lamens reached and won her first career ITF World Tour singles final above W25-level at W75 Trnava, in early March. One month later, she enjoyed an unbeaten fortnight at Oeiras that included a career-best win over Jelena Ostapenko in the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers and a maiden WTA 125 title, after a thrilling final against Clara Tauson (more here). Then came a quarter-final at WTA 250 Budapest, Lamens’ top Tour-level performance until this week’s run in Osaka. Steady progress that has taken Lamens to the Top-100, at #88.
Lamens clinched the Japan Open title with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Kimberly Birrell (WTA #138) in the fifth all-qualifier final on the WTA Tour since 1990. It was also a clash of first-time finalists as Birrell, like Lamens, had never been past the quarters prior to this week.
Lamens began the final with 2 forehand errors but she immediately found top gear, winning 8 points in a row and 25 of 29 to claim the first set in 21 minutes while dropping just 6 points.
Birrell reacted with a love break to start to the second set and she replicated it in the 5th game. Both times however, she was broken right back and the set remained tied. Lamens grabbed a 5-4 lead with her 5th ace of the final. With victory in sight, she ended a 20-shot rally with a winning forehand on the run. It set up championship point, converted when Birrell missed wide a line backhand.
Final match stats couldn’t be more contrasting.
Lamens accumulated 18 winners with 13 unforced errors. Birrell hit just 2 winners (both on volleys) with 24 unforced errors.
A deeper look revealed that these massive differences came almost entirely from opposite forehand groundstroke performances.
Lamens finished the match with 10 forehand groundstroke winners with 13 errors, for a -3 differential. Birrell made 20 forehand errors without a winner. So there was a 17-point gap in forehand performances (-3 to -20).
Forehand Groundstroke Performances
Birrell: 0 winners / 20 errors = -20
Lamens: 10 winners / 13 errors = -3
Backhand performances were a lot closer. With both players failing to strike a groundstroke winner from the backhand wing, Birrell ended with 16 errors and Lamens was slightly better, with 13.
Backhand Groundstroke Performances
Birrell: 0 winners / 16 errors = -16
Lamens: 0 winners / 13 errors = -13
If Lamens dominated the match with her forehand, she targeted Birrell’s forehand corner in most of her winning shots, as shown by the yellow circle below.
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