passing shot

noun

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Definition of passing shot

: a stroke (as in tennis) that drives the ball to one side and beyond the reach of an opponent

Recent Examples of passing shot from the Web

The passing shot is one of five finalists for the WTA Shot of the Month.

— heather rule, chicagotribune.com, "Hinsdale's Caroline Dolehide plays 'a few really good matches' on one of tennis' biggest stages," 5 Apr. 2018
Early in the fifth set, del Potro won a point with a diving volley as Nadal attempted a passing shot.

— tom perrotta, WSJ, "Kevin Anderson Upsets Roger Federer at Wimbledon," 11 July 2018
Thiem however was able to hold serve regularly and had a chance to get back on serve but his break chance at 2-4 evaporated when Nadal hit a sublime drop shot, then passing shot.

— ravi ubha, CNN, "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem for 11th French Open title," 10 June 2018
Dolehide won the first set with a backhand passing shot as Halep came into the net.

— heather rule, chicagotribune.com, "Hinsdale's Caroline Dolehide plays 'a few really good matches' on one of tennis' biggest stages," 5 Apr. 2018
The point of the match came in the third-set tiebreaker when Chung hit a cross-court passing shot to put him within two points of victory.

— USA TODAY, "The Latest: Pliskova to face Halep in Australian Open QF," 21 Jan. 2018
Federer took advantage of a third break point in the first game of the match with a winning backhand passing shot.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Roger Federer Beats Rafael Nadal to Win His Sixth Title of the Year," 15 Oct. 2017
Federer opted to serve-and-volley on a second serve, and Youzhny ripped a backhand crosscourt passing shot to get back on serve.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "Roger Federer Survives in Five Sets to Reach U.S. Open Third Round," 31 Aug. 2017
Her passing shot late in the match helped her take a lead for good.

— tom perrotta, WSJ, "Sloane Stephens Defeats Madison Keys to Win U.S. Open," 9 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'passing shot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.