WTA 125 Newport: Tatjana Maria vs Caty McNally final analysis
The first women's final at the Hall of Fame in 35 years was a show of old-school, net-rushing tennis
Caty McNally (WTA #208) recovered from a set down to upset top seed Tatjana Maria (WTA #45) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and claim the first women’s singles title awarded at the International Tennis Hall of Fame since the 1990 Virginia Slims of Newport.
After two very tough years dealing with an elbow injury, the last couple of weeks must have felt like full circle moments for the 23-year old American. She claimed a maiden Wimbledon main draw triumph, was the only player to take a set from Iga Swiatek at The Championships and then secured her tied highest-level title to date in Newport with a second career WTA 125 tournament victory.
The first one was conquered in Midland, in McNally’s last event of 2022. She advanced to another WTA 125 final six months later at the Paris Trophee Clarins, but was unable to step on court due to a leg injury. Despite the walkover, McNally climbed to a career-high #54 and looked poised to crack the Top-50 soon.
But instead of reaching a career milestone, Caty was forced to shut down for the rest of 2023 after a first round loss to Jodie Burrage at Wimbledon due to elbow pain. A comeback attempt in early 2024 was shortlived — lasted just 3 events — and prompted McNally to opt for elbow surgery and sit out almost the entire year.
Following a November return in Midland while ranked a lowly #1028, McNally has built up her match form by splitting time between the WTA Tour and the ITF World Tour. She arrived in Newport with a 31-15 record since the latest comeback and on the heels of a very meaningful and symbolic first round win at Wimbledon over… Jodie Burrage.
Back on the WTA 125 winners’ circle and inside the Top-150 — rose to #135 in the latest rankings — McNally will be anxious to see the North American hardcourt season in full swing.
On a funny note, Maria was just a set away from adding ‘Mother-of-two returning women’s events at historic tennis clubs following long absences’ to the frequent ´Mother-of-two´ mention she so often gets.
After becoming the first women’s singles champion crowned at the Queen’s Club since 1973 last month, her quest to be the first women’s winner at the International Tennis Hall of Fame since 1990* only collapsed at the very last hurdle.
* While 1990 was the last year the Virginia Slims of Newport were officially part of the WTA Tour calendar, a Virginia Slims Hall of Fame Invitational was still held from 1991 to 1998.
Match analysis
Just 11 of 126 (!!) rallies that developed during the Newport final finished with both players at the baseline. Otherwise, one or even both finalists were in the forecourt as the point ended.
So the match was a race to gain position at the net.
Maria actually tried to avoid rallies altogether by slamming big serves. With 8 aces among 20 winning deliveries (plus 5 return unforced errors from her opponent), she finished the match with a huge 25-6 advantage in 1-shot points = unreturned serves.
When Maria’s serves did come back, she was very eager to attack the net with ‘serve+1’ slice approaches.
📺 source: WTA Unlocked
The 37-year old German also used the same ‘+1’ net approaching on return, as seen here when she sealed the opening set.
And on some occasions, Maria didn’t even wait for the ´+1´ and came in behind her return.
As the match progressed, Maria’s ´return & charge´ plays — and net attacks, in general — became increasingly less efficient. McNally got comfortable with the pressure and sent several passing winners past her.
Like Maria, McNally played a high number of slice shots and rushed the net behind several low and skidding ´+1s´.
Contrary to her veteran opponent, the young American sacrificed top-end serve speed and free points to land a very high percentage of 1st deliveries. She finished at 79% (67 of 85) and, from the 5th game of the final onwards, combined it with frequent serving and volleying.
That turned out to be the main tactical difference in the match.
It was also a winning strategy as McNally went through the last 2 sets facing a single break point and without losing serve.
In the end, McNally served and volleyed 28 times — winning 17 points, 61% — and reached the net on a total of 77 occasions, against just 57 by Maria.
An already concerning 20-point deficit for the top seed in a match so tilted towards the net that only became worst when she saw 15 passing winners go by throughout the 2nd and 3rd sets combined. As a result, her win-rate up front dropped dramatically from 77% in the opener to near 30% for the rest of the Newport final.
By contrast, McNally’s efficiency in the forecourt started out at 55% and averaged 10% increases from set to set.
Net points won per set
Set 1: Maria 77%, 17-for-22 / McNally 55%, 12-for-22
Set 2: Maria 35%, 7-for-20 / McNally 63%, 19-for-30
Set 3: Maria 27%, 4-for-15 / McNally 76%, 19-for-25
Match: Maria 49%, 28-for-57 / McNally 65%, 50-for-77
The 2-time Major doubles finalist sealed a hugely motivating title with a massive 27 winners at the net, in addition to 6 forceful volleys/overheads.
Some of those were gorgeous shots following cat-like net coverage. It is a beautiful way to conclude this analysis!
Tatjana Maria (WTA #45, seed 1) vs Caty McNally (WTA #208)
2025 Newport final - Match Data
Set by Set Stats
Strokes Breakdown
Winners and Errors
Direction of winning shots and unforced errors (only groundstrokes)
Serve and Return
1st Serves
2nd Serves
Return & rallying performance
Rally Length
Points won breakdown
This final section gives a last, broader look at the match by presenting how each player won points. Points are listed according to their frequency (highest to lowest) and are named in relation to the last touch on the ball. For simplicity, groundstrokes hit from the 5th shot onwards are grouped together.
Breakdown by side (FHs or BHs)
Breakdown by error type (UFEs or FEs)
To find out more about the stats published here, please visit the following post.
While we follow the same criteria used on all major tennis events, our stats are collected through our own video analysis and are not official WTA or ITF stats.
Thanks for reading!
— Tennis Inside Numbers