USTA 4.5 Baseliner vs USTA 4.5 Pusher!

A lot of you guys have been requesting me to play someone closer to my level so here you go! Today's match is a singles set between me and Steven, who is a fellow USTA 4.5 in the area and about a 7.5 UTR! He plays a counter-puncher style that can be frustrating to play against. Check out Steven's channel, Racket Warriors:
‪@racketwarriors‬
Steven and I played once almost 1.5yrs ago here's a link to that video:
• USTA 4.5 Winston vs. U...
Let us know if you think we've gotten any better! And leave some nice comments below for Steven for playing this match with me on The Challenge Court!
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Steven - USTA 4.5 (7.5 UTR)
Winston - USTA 4.5
@steven_huynh_ig
@winstonddu
@thechallengecourt
Steven's racket:
www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prin...
Steven's strings:
www.tennis-warehouse.com/Yone...
Winston's racket:
www.tennis-warehouse.com/Babo...
Winston's' strings:
www.tennis-warehouse.com/Soli...
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
2:02 - Equipment
3:01 - Set
14:51 - Outro
17:59 - Solinco Giveaway!
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#tennis #tennishighlights #ustatennis #tennismatch

[@racketwarriors]

Thanks for having me on your channel again Winston! It's awesome to see your improvement from our last match. I know there were camera disruptions but they honestly gave me some time to breathe haha Thanks everyone else for your comments (good and bad). I really enjoy the comments and perspectives from everyone. Im aware of my T-rex backhand but somehow it was a lot worse when i started out in high school. Definitely reading the tips from the comments and always looking to improve. Thats the beautiful thing about tennis, it has an infinite ceiling for improvement.

[@bournejason66]

I love your attitude 👍. Keep grinding and you’ll be 5.0 👍

[@waynebot]

that's not true if you lose your arms it's hard to improve

[@racketwarriors]

@Wayne I see that as an opportunity to get tennis racket arm implants! There was a guy in high school that had one arm and he was a beast!

[@waynebot]

@@racketwarriors oh shit you playing 5d tennis

[@tdubbs684]

​@@racketwarriorsThe pro where I play has one arm and same. He flips the ball up from his racquet to serve and toss is perfect every time.

[@DearDextra]

Winston has gotten so much better over last few months. Backhands have gotten more aggressive and consistent. Good work Winston.

[@ceegee22]

"He's gotten better.... Damn you Karue!" lol

[@Adonis1337]

I have just recently come across your channel and have to say, it is superb content. Not only are the matches entertaining and nicely varied in terms of player strength but you're also great at analysing them afterwards. Hats off to you and go get that 100k play button! Greetings from Germany

[@davidcarter291]

Good match, Winston! I notice your backhand has improved a lot. It seems like you are getting more power, consistency, and depth on that shot. It looks like you are making good progress to 5.0.

[@Fitness4London]

Great channel Winston, I look forward to watching more. The timing of your shots is great, footwork very proactive, good killer-instinct.

[@joshz6289]

haha the "damn you karue" is pure comedy

[@RyanMontalvoMusic]

Man, the point at 13:20 was impressive! 15-shot rally, great defense, and hitting that third ball while moving backwards and getting it that deep was sick. Nice job!

[@neelabhchoudhary2063]

Looks like those lessons with Karue are really paying off. He made your backhand so much better. He also really improved your strategy and point construction. Really awesome stuff!

[@babystepstogiantstrides8665]

@Winston Du Really great to see how much more drive you're getting through your shots on both wings and off the serve. Just watched this and the match a year ago and it's awesome /inspiring to see the progress you've made in that time. Currently on the grind as well and am looking at you as an example of how much progress someone can make when dedicated!

[@Mister3Pac]

Just found you recently Winston but I love your videos and they’re coming along with me as my love of tennis grows. I hope one day to get as good as you are Winston! I just play with my cousin currently but we hope to eventually join a beginner/intermediate training class at a local tennis club once we get at least some skill under our belts. My goal is to get to at least a 5.0 NTRP but I have a long fun road ahead! Thank you for these videos!

[@borisng2694]

winston absolutely crushing his forehands, good work!

[@bhpucsb]

Wow this is by far the best I have seen Winston play! Shots are looking way more powerful and the serve looks so much better.

[@willmakepeace8293]

Goes to show playing with better players makes you better. Nice W

[@jimjones2287]

Is it just me or has Winston gotten so much better. Haven't watched a vid for maybe half a year and the progress is insane.

[@breakpointtennis1]

Great content as always!

[@marcoaugustine266]

THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED WINSTON

[@altrfryd5859]

I really like Winston's forehand technique and also his play at the net which he scored lots of points with today but I don't like his serves so improvements can be made there but overall Winston played very well and it is obvious Winston is improving rappidly at the game. Looking forward to your next video!

[@jimgoddard3957]

Gosh, forehand looking awesome, Winston...I'm envious!

[@neelabhchoudhary2063]

Amazing video! We want more videos of you playing against 4.5 - 5.0 players!!

[@Jon88]

Nice to see the collab with Steven. I think Winston’s power and depth of ground strokes were just a bit too much. I think this puts Winston about where we expect I would guess 8-9 UTR since he took that set off Sansait.

[@IiIlllIIIlliiI]

your channel has so much fun in it winston. 4.5 guy playing ex-pro, 4.0 4.5 big variety of games. Your play was much better when you played 10-11 UTR guys though. still a great game great video

[@jimmac6367]

Look at Winston coming to the net and winning points. Good on ya!

[@benw8416]

holy the lessons from karue have been working. strokes look great out there man.

[@CR4WLFC]

Your backhand looks completey new. Oh man, keep it going!

[@butchgo6130]

I'm in my mid-seventies and playing every other day. Few singles and mostly doubles with my age level. And by way you're playing, I think I can match the power of your strokes but definitely not your stamina. How about doing a match with a senior guy with some semblance of your play?

[@ValentinChablat]

Finally a match against someone your level ! Looking forward to it :)

[@basedbear1605]

This was a 4.0 vs. a 4.5. Steven had JUST been bumped up, which is why he was on his heels the entire time. Steven had very few weapons to hurt Winston, most of the points that he won were Winston mistakes.

[@mericusta1988]

Winston, you really improved. Your bh, maybe not a weapon, but very reliable to say the least. Your fh, definitely a weapon. A shot where you can transfer your power into the ball well. Your 1st serve, if it reaches the level of your fh, in terms of efficiency, kinetic chain, looseness etc, you will become an incredible player. Flawless net game. One improvement, could be working on bh where you have to step back.

[@micah2237]

damn, Winston, your progress is astounding

[@meinsouza]

what a contrast in your sock's game...winston has none and steven rocking a purple one, I love it lol

[@joelembiid7356]

I see you Winston!

[@josebabasarrate6057]

Steven's pace, and above all his backhand, kill his game. Massive room of improvement there. Nice video Winston!!. Your forehand look better and fluid when you aren't pressured

[@mutantdonkey]

Winston, enjoying your content. Thank you. As I try to improve my game I see similarities in some things that you do that are also things that I do and I'm trying to correct them in my game. I watched the latest video from your friend Karue from my tennis HQ about two weeks ago about his improved forehand and here are my take-aways. One: You (just like me) have a bad habit of looking forward as you strike your forehand looking at where you are going to drive the ball causing you to occasionally mishit the ball and also reducing the shot quality of the balls you do not mishit. Your distance and timing is a bit off because of this. Karue has improved his shot quality by keeping eye contact with the ball until he strikes it. The improvement is significant. Two: I feel like you are loading your right leg (on your forehand) a bit too early on some shots, which is something I also do, forcing you to stay in place too early with awkward distance from the ball and preventing you from hitting the best version of your forehand. Karue was trying to solve this in his own game by staying on his toes until the last minute so he loads and seamlessly transitions into his stroke right away. Playing against pusher type of players tends to reveal inefficiencies in our games since we have to constantly generate a lot of the pace and be consistent at the same time. It is unnerving and not a lot of fun to play these type of matches (at least for me) but I think they have a lot of learning moments and they are definitely a mental challenge. Anyway thanks again.

[@tenniswithandy]

Well played both of you. Winston, I’m guessing (this is just a hunch) that you’ve already had your serve lesson with Karue. I see you are tossing the ball more out in front and utilizing a slice and flat serve as well.

[@pedrox96]

Steven: I'm a counter-puncher. Winston in the title: *I'm about to end this man's whole career.*

[@biglenny8258]

How do you film your matches like what equipment do you use how do you hang the camera on the fence? Love the channel

[@skl17]

@winston - Love your channel! I've seen your clinics with Karue (sp?) and you've definitely been playing better. what do you think helped you improve your backhand? can you offer some key checkpoints you use on perfecting your backhand? Also what are you doing to keep consistency and drive on faster paced rallies to your backhand?

[@simonandeugenia]

That call at 3:30 😅

[@netional5154]

Replayed at 0.25 speed, ball very in.

[@airborne13579]

Winston has better forms on both forehands and backhands. For the high short balls, it would nice to see Winston to aim closer to the sideline for down the line and bigger angles for cross court.

[@ChowDownDetroit]

I’m a big Prince guy as well! Currently playing with Phantom 100 Pro and Textreme 100p. They are amazing racquets

[@awachsmann]

Love my Phantom Pro 100's! Very underrated stick.

[@ChowDownDetroit]

@@awachsmann I love the super thin beam and how easy it is to swing. Great for my tennis elbow issue as well

[@racketwarriors]

Love Prince and their crazy racket designs. Wish they got more recognition. I was so sad when Iga switched out from Prince

[@gamapg]

WINSTON VS MEP PLEASE!!!

[@tennnis498]

That’s a good matchup.

[@abbull_3000]

Great play Winston. No haters in comments on this vid!😂

[@johnchoi8643]

Steven defeated by KBBQ

[@mrchuckles1022]

8:52 there were a lot of short balls like this one that Steven hit that were setup for a short crossing shot that you didn’t get much angle on.

[@user-es1nv3rc6x]

thats a solid 3.5

[@fleekdasheek9176]

Lol the writing on the windguards though. I'm a child

[@dreztv]

hi bro, can i know what are you recording with? and is it 4k 30fps? and how high is your tripod being set.. nice angle by the way

[@jackhuang6750]

Steven has a major flaw on his backhand. Massive room for improvement. Backhand is jammed a lot.

[@whatubeaccount1]

The Winston forehand is just too much to deal with for people who don't have great anticipation or great movement=speed...that's why kids with higher skill levels struggle to beat him so much... usually it's too much to ask to deal with his automatic level consistency and spin/depth on that side...and his fitness looks great and always has...backhand he still just isn't confident or comfortable with despite some noticeable improvement...I'd recommend thinking about your prep footwork on that side, winston...always be thinking about taking an ultra-quick extra step or two when you're getting set so you can meet the ball on your terms and swing away...you're way too strong physically for the backhand to not become a weapon if you can figure out the mental block on that side imho...what I'm seeing says to me that mentally you are always trying to attack on that side even though you have 0% confidence in the bh...you should think of it like a push probably...just try and get it in is my two cents...could open up things for you with a mental adjustment and get you rolling to 5.0

[@awachsmann]

Time to get a new camera. Have you tried the Swingvision app?

[@twinwankel]

Winston's improvement on his forehand is definitely big. He hits flatter and has stopped looping the balls back. His court position against Steven is very aggressive on top of the baseline. Steven didn't make him pay for that unfortunately. He needs to get the ball back deep and push him back. I thought Steven needs to work on a number of weaknesses on his game but the main one was his serve. It's very awkward with a lot of hitches in the motion that robs him of power. Winston also tends to approach down the middle to give Steven a great chance to pass him. Not a good tactic. Overall, Winston looks more like a 5.0 player with that strong inside out game. If he can improve on his serve and footwork, he can reach 5.0.

[@topspin1715]

Steven just remember there will be 5.0 players bumped down to 4.5 and they will be tougher to beat. Just keep grinding, you got this! Not trying to make excuses but this is expected at every NTRP level.

[@racketwarriors]

Thanks! I was a 4.0 for a while so I understand there's a great range of level even within each USTA rating. I just got bumped up to 4.5 so I'm gonna enjoy the grueling grind 💪🏼

[@titochop]

Winston is now ready for a rematch with @marksansit

[@pablok2854]

ggreat tennis! is amazing how much have you improved Winston! Btw, i'll say you're a 4.5+ and you oppoent is a 4.0 but defentely not a pusher. he tried to play from the baseline but your shots were too much for him to be more offensive. cheers man! I have a question: is D2 college at this level or 5.0? i've seen many D1 games but never a D2 game and i guess it should be aroud Winston level

[@sbinsdca]

Looked good. Steve is definitely not a pusher. His style is more defense than offense though. Counterpuncher is the better description of his game.

[@alng16]

What type of camera are you using Winston?

[@FelipeFranco1088]

Winston did you notice a big difference between the 98 and 100 inch rackets?

[@ashevillecomputer201]

What kind of camera or phone do you use to record?

[@kyleklontz3214]

If Steven is 4.5 then I'm the Queen of France

[@Didymus1984]

A win for Winston and a win for all non-pushers everywhere. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ThEReAlCrAnTlY]

As Winston's power increases his camera's life-force decreases

[@blueststar4u]

What's the purple circle for? I'd like to think it's for "DRS"

[@HeavyTopspin]

Steven is NOT a pusher. Sure, he hits with less pace than a lot of 4.5s do, but it's not like he's sending floaters to the baseline every shot.

[@luikiedook]

I think he's not creating enough space, causing him to get less power and pop them up.

[@topspin1715]

@@luikiedook On forehand it is because of his bent arm position he does not require more spacing. I think he might add alot more effortless power with relaxing his elbow joint instead of locking it at 90 degrees on take back then swinging forward with exact same angle, but only he will know if this will help or not by experimenting. Also by allowing arm to extending more he will then have to space further from the ball to avoid power loss from limited racket head speed due to insufficient space to accelerate.

[@HeavyTopspin]

@@WinstonDu Yeah, but most people see "pusher" as an insult - although by some standard, we're all pushers by ATP pro standards. Thanks for sharing the match!

[@TimTheMusicMan]

How in the world was Winston's opponent rated a 4.5 ?????? come on.

[@HeavyTopspin]

@@TimTheMusicMan Look at his game. He may not be at Winston's level, but he'd find a lot of success, if not dominate, at the 4.0 level. You keep winning at 4.0, they move you up to 4.5.

[@gab_ale]

Up to 4.0 you play tennis to exercise, 4.5 and up you exercise to play tennis.

[@racketwarriors]

😮 makes so much sense!!! Tennis is the only exercise I do haha

[@gab_ale]

@@racketwarriors LOL. Right now me too. Back in my early 20's I was only able to break to 4.5 when I started running and strength training a bit. Many shots that were winners against 4.0's were coming back against 4.5's. Also the quality of shots coming back was higher so I definitely needed to run more.

[@pleaseenteraname1103]

Winston you should really do a serve lesson with Karue. you have major problems on your serve and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you hit an ace.

[@mrchuckles1022]

That would be a lot of fun to watch. Do a before and after with a radar gun.

[@Wesslic]

You should play Conner again Winston. Rematch!

[@rsmith02]

I've never seen Winston do aggressive net play before to finish points, love it. I don't think Steven is a pusher but his groundstrokes have some mechanical flaws that cause him to pop up balls. He also seems out of practice.

[@ChowDownDetroit]

Hey Winston! You should start reviewing racquets. I would love to hear your thoughts on all the different racquets out there

[@ClarkdeLeon]

I think skills and tactics are more important than rackets. Maybe talk about basic, fundamentals and how players strokes, movements mentality, etc.. rackets don’t make you win, you play the rackets not the rackets play you.

[@nascentnaga]

fearhand central

[@muarafishery]

How tall is Winston?

[@GershonBenYitzhak]

Steven needs some distance between him and the ball

[@ayokay123]

It'll be more interesting to watch Winston play against an opponent who won't let him run around his backhand. Notice that Winston never returns to center of baseline. He parks solidly left of center and relies on his athleticism to run down forehands. A better opponent won't let you get away with that. Fun to watch, though.

[@RoddyAlt]

Check out some of the other videos where high level players really get Winston off kilter with pace and directional control on the points. Suffice it to say, Winston’s game has improved greatly, and he still sets up his backhand as a weapon.

[@devpatel7154]

@@RoddyAlt yeah fr. Bro just took off. His level was staying constant but last 2-3 months or so bro has added more pace to his forehand and has better directional control. Just overall improved every aspect it seems

[@zinswastaken]

winston, what is your utr? just asking

[@maxbadger8705]

Winston, what’s the leg workout looking like?

[@maxbadger8705]

Serious looking quads and hammys bro!

[@ghung604]

Reminds me id juniors back in the days; pushers are annoying

[@hareebalzak3681]

5.0 winston coming soon???

[@Javaslinger7730]

Bring back Claire! ;)

[@joseppi4cinqua]

How you contact the ball on your best ‘forehand whip power slap’, is the same type of contact you should have on the serve, while always thinking about it as if you’re just playing some catch. The next ball, you’ll usually want to hit after the drop, so deep behind the baseline. Then the next ball lands shorter usually, so take that one at or in front of the baseline. Many players make the mistake of switching those following two shots. Meaning, they’ll hit a big serve then be too close to the baseline and get trapped. Again, after the serve, hit the next ball from way behind the baseline. You can move forward after that. This is an important concept to conceptualize and missing from so many entire intermediate players.

[@bengray5013]

Except you can redetermine where the return will land so your idea is a little flawed...

[@joseppi4cinqua]

@@bengray5013 percentages and anticipation. thanks for reading.

[@bengray5013]

@@joseppi4cinqua percentage in pro level tennis, not intermediate amateur level... Thanks for reading.

[@joseppi4cinqua]

@@bengray5013 play your game bud. you know what to do.

[@bengray5013]

@@joseppi4cinqua not your bud lol 😂

[@conraywest]

How does his wrist not hurt from that forehand

[@gregg9694]

Hi Burk

[@AlexR2332]

First! And good work Winston!!!

[@ozaanc]

4.5?

[@jogolff]

Winston, all those invaluable lessons with Karue and it's so so disappointing to see you unable to execute on the most basic of teaching points during your matches...........where are those long socks?!? 💯

[@stevenjm12]

Thanks to Michelle and her giant jugs for saving the footage!

[@wilsonchen910]

Time to conquer 5.0 USTA Winston

[@jerrycallows3906]

i can't tell who's the pusher and who isn't

[@gtgt8564]

Steven uses slices often, why?

[@dillonscribner7428]

I can see why you'd say Steven's style is pusher/counterpuncher - Winston had to take control of just about every point. Steven does play well however and hits solid groundstrokes. I just play at the 3.0-3.5 level and pushers beat me often by punishing me when I don't put it away. Nice to see Winston keep it together through the approach shots, volleys and overheads even when the ball keeps coming back.

[@basedbear1605]

Bullshit. Steven just got bumped up to 4.5.. he is a weak 4.5 but my guess is he is improving. He obviously wasn't used to the pace coming from Winston, and he was on his heels the entire time. Literally leaning back on most shots, and that's why he didn't get as much pace as Winston. I'm sure that will change with time and experience. Nothing about this guy says he is a pusher at all. Pushers don't use a western grip on forehands. He merely has versatility and throws in an occasional forehand slice. Saying he is a pusher is disrespectful and demeaning, because it is a derogatory term. Totally classless calling him a pusher and putting it on the net. Thumbs down.

[@DearDextra]

Steven plays backhands too close to his body, don't know if that's good or bad, just something diff than most players here.

[@alexe6308]

Def not a good thing

[@gregg9694]

Not a good thing. Space creates pace.

[@SeanFox1414]

Is it just me or does it seem like Steven is preparing suuuper late on his backhand?

[@TimTheMusicMan]

How in the world was Winston's opponent rated a 4.5 ?????? come on.

[@joethekidct3927]

I would rather poke my own eye out than play against the “Steven” pusher type players! 😂 It really is soooo annoying playing them.

[@kyleklontz3214]

I'm not convinced this is 4.5 level tennis...

[@bengray5013]

Steven has to flimsy a wrist on his serve technique and is really late in the prep stage, and he has to rigid a wrist on his ground strokes and will likely cause himself an injury if he continues hitting this way...

[@chuckfriebe843]

He doesn't hit the ball hard enough to cause much damage to his wrist.

[@bengray5013]

@@chuckfriebe843you don't need to hit a ball that hard lol, if he shanks a ball he could easily injure his wrist...

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Winston u should play against real old ppl yo change things up

[@ALEN1ful]

Good job, maybe get a new camera...

[@Frank-pg7xx]

Winston is already a 5.0 player

[@neilangeles396]

I thought Coach Karue had an intervention with you about the no-show socks?! C’mon, Dude, you’re better than that.

[@AG-js1bl]

Winston and steven are very easy to defeat pushers, steven miss a lot of shots to be a pusher.

[@andynguyen151]

No wonder u beat every one in your league, you just hit with every atp pro 😅