Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.4

The Black Ace (315) checked a lot of boxes for our team during this playtest, and it was apparent from the first hit that this would be a comfortable racquet loaded with feel. Troy noted a classic feel on contact, and he liked the weight and plow through. He explained, "I could feel the flexibility of the frame. This racquet played with a lot of control, and it had easy access to topspin from the open string pattern. It reminded me of the Wilson Blade 98 16x19 (but heavier) or the Prince Phantom 100P -- soft, lots of control and easy spin. My slice shots felt nice and smooth, and the best part was that the mass of the racquet helped me plow through the ball easily."

“The specs for the RA and beam width made me realize this might not be my favorite racquet," began Michelle. "ProKennex is known for having some of the most arm-friendly racquets, and I appreciate that, but I tend to struggle to connect with flexible racquets that have thinnish beams. This Black Ace (315) is a very flexible racquet, and I felt like the harder I swung the more I struggled, so I tried to just slow down my swing and let my shots flow. I appreciated the weight and swingweight, but the racquet felt a bit noodley, and at times I felt disconnected from my shots. Normally, I would just counter this issue with stiffer, dead strings to try to stiffen up the stringbed, but I felt like that would defeat the purpose of this racquet. I did really enjoy it when working with different levels of players and focusing on specific drills or when I played more touch-oriented games like mini-tennis. With that being said, I can appreciate what the Black Ace (315) offers, and I love that there is an arm-friendly racquet loaded with put-away power for players looking for something that swings fluidly. I just tend to like the exact opposite feel and would want the tip to be a bit firmer."

It didn’t take Mark long to get comfortable from the baseline with the Black Ace (315). He said, "I never felt bullied by pace from the backcourt. I could detect the power and stability coming from its high static and swingweight after just a few groundstroke exchanges, along with tons of comfort and control derived from the softer layup of graphite. This combination allowed me to generate a level of pace on my groundstrokes to open up the court, but not quite enough to hit many outright winners. Absorbing pace and changing direction of the ball are a large part of my game, and this racquet enhanced that. Another thing I rely on is spin, and I have to say the wide spacing of the 16x19 string pattern made it easy for me to generate topspin and confidently aim shots to smaller areas of the court, without sacrificing the quality of my backhand slice."

Volleys: 8.5

Our team loved volleying with the stable Black Ace (315). They were also impressed by the racquet's feel, control and precision at net. While she critiqued it on her groundstrokes, This racquet worked very nicely for Michelle's net game. She said, "I enjoyed the Black Ace (315) at net and appreciated the feel and my ability to carve out some touch shots. I've been working on mixing things up a bit and did feel comfortable dropping balls and hitting with more touch than power at the net. And again, I loved playing mini-tennis with this racquet, which I tend to do a lot when I am working with players who are learning to get comfortable at the net and move for doubles."

Mark felt connected to his volleys with the Black Ace (315). He said, "I will give the same high marks to the Black Ace (315) for my net game as I did for groundstrokes. Its heft made it easy to deal with the incoming power of a good passing shot, whether I was trying to add or rob pace. Stability was more than sufficient even when the volley was hit at full stretch or a little off center."

When it came to hitting volleys, Troy found the Black Ace (315) to be solid and plush on contact. He described, "I really enjoyed the built-in mass with this racquet because it helped me block the ball back with ease, and it absorbed the pace of the ball very well. No matter how hard the ball was hit at me, this Black Ace (315) felt plush and comfortable. I like to use my touch and feel when I come to the net, and the Black Ace (315) worked well on those touch volleys and drop shots. I could feel the ball sink into the stringbed, and the high flexibility of the Black Ace (315) worked beautifully on soft touch volleys. At 315 grams, there is just enough room to add a leather grip and get the balance a little more head light; I think that would be a nice touch for my volleys."

Serves: 7.9

When serving with the Black Ace (315), our playtesters found great access to spin and could hit their targets with ease, but they also had a critique or two. The same heft that helped his groundstrokes and volleys had more mixed results for Mark's serves. He said, "The substantial swingweight made it difficult for me to snap my wrist through contact for some much needed movement on my serves. However, I was able to consistently land serves to either side of the service court, especially out wide on the ad side and near the T on both the ad and deuce court. I am happy to report that the velocity on my serves was on par with the racquet I most often play with."

Troy found his best results by focusing on his placement and maximizing the spin. He said, "I was getting a decent amount of pace from the mass and swingweight, but not really a boost in power. That said, for a 100-square-inch head size, I found a lot of control and good precision when going for my spots. The open string pattern allowed me to impart a lot of spin on my slice and kick serves. Overall, I felt like the Black Ace (315) helped me hit a lot of sharp angles on my serves and keep the ball close to the lines and out of my opponents' wheelhouse."

The Black Ace (315)'s flexible response wasn't a perfect match for Michelle's serve. She explained, "I felt like I was making contact too high in the stringbed, and it felt like I was mis-hitting or couldn't get a hold of the ball. As someone who likes to hit bigger first serves, I didn’t feel like I got a ton of pop on the ball (maybe my court stats would tell a different story, and this was more a reflection of what I was feeling at contact). Second serves were a bit better than first serves, though, and I was happy with the spin and slice I could generate."

Returns: 8.3

When it came to returning with the Black Ace (315), our team found less power and plenty of comfort at contact, which helped them handle big serves. Troy, who really relies on comfort and plow through for a solid return, enjoyed how the Black Ace (315) delivered both. He said, "Comfort is important because when the serve speed is high, the force on impact can be jarring. When hitting returns against big servers, I tend to lean toward plusher, more comfortable racquets. Besides the soft feel of the Black Ace (315), I loved the easy plow through. The swingweight was above 330, so I could redirect the pace with ease and block the serves back with depth. I wasn't getting much help in terms of power, but when I had the time to set up, I could take a big whack at my forehand and was rewarded with enough control to keep it in the court."

Michelle liked the fluid swing and stability of the Black Ace (315) on returns. She described, "The Black Ace (315) felt a bit lower powered, so I could hit out successfully. I could hit angles as well, which was nice. I didn't feel as connected to the ball as I would have liked, and again, I prefer a firm beam and a quick in and out of the stringbed."

"My return of serve has never been my best shot," added Mark. "However, it is not my Achilles' heel either. After a short period of time, returning serves with the Black Ace (315) helped move the quality of my return in the direction of being my best shot. I was still chipping or pushing a lot on the forehand side, but on the backhand wing I was confident hitting my return with topspin or slice."

Breakdown Summary