From Melbourne to the World: Aussie startup Data Driven Sports Analytics acquired by sports-science leader Orreco

Founder of DDSA Shane Liyanage has been one of the secrets behind Aryna Sabalenka's success.

One of Australia's most remarkable high-performance success stories has reached a new milestone, with global sports-science powerhouse Orreco announcing its acquisition of Melbourne-based Data Driven Sports Analytics (DDSA) — the company quietly driving some of the biggest tennis success stories of the past five years.

Founded by Melbourne performance data scientist Shane Liyanage, DDSA grew from a one-person startup into one of the most influential analytics teams in world tennis. From a modest base in Australia, DDSA supported Grand Slam champions, world No.1s, Olympic and BJK Cup teams, leading academies and collegiate programs, and some of the sport's most respected coaches.

DDSA is an Australian tennis analytics company specialising in AI, computer vision, match analytics, and performance-support platforms, trusted by Grand Slam champions, federations, and high-performance programs worldwide. Orreco are set to take DDSA to new heights by combining world-class sports science, biomakers, recovery intelligence, and AI to optimise athlete readiness.

The acquisition brings DDSA's industry-leading tennis analytics into Orreco's global scientific ecosystem, joining world-class biomarker analysis, AI readiness models, elite recovery science, and research on female athlete physiology used across the NBA, NFL, Premier League, and elite Olympic programs.

"We are absolutely delighted to join forces with Shane and team DDSA," Orreco CEO Brian Moore said. "It was immediately clear to us why  DDSA is the choice of Tennis champions.

"Their cutting-edge computer vision and AI technology delivers game-changing insights for players, coaches and federations. We are already working on applications for football, basketball and Olympians. Combined with our AI physiology, training, nutrition and women's performance modules delivers a world-leading platform for athletes competing at the highest levels of world sport."

For Australian high-performance sport and innovation, it is a rare success story.

DDSA has delivered the following:

• Tactical patterning

• Opponent analysis

• Movement tracking

• Serve/return models

• Development insights

• Season-long planning tools

World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam Champion Aryna Sabalenka has relied on DDSA for her development and impressive achievements.

"DDSA has been a huge part of how I analyse opponents, develop my game, and make better decisions on court," Sabalenka said. "Now teaming up with Orreco brings two leaders together with one vision—help athletes be ready to win. It’s an exciting step forward for high-performance tennis."

Anton Dubrov, who is Sabalenka's coach and a nominee for WTA Coach of the Year,

"We began working with DDSA at the end of 2020 and immediately saw how their analytics improved how we prepared," he said. "It changed training, decision-making, and even how we structured our season. Orreco's leadership in athlete readiness makes this a natural evolution. Together they can push tennis performance into entirely new territory."

Sabalenka's team used DDSA for:

• opponent pattern analysis

• tactical decision support

• heavy-ball + serve/return tendencies

• in-match and post-match review

• seasonal strategy for major events

With Orreco, those insights now merge with world-leading readiness and recovery science.

Another high-profile name who has partnered with DDSA is three-time major finalist Ons Jabeur.

"Shane and his company helped my coach interpret complex data and understand my game at a deeper level. Their work supported my preparation and helped me continuously improve. I was proud to receive equity in DDSA, and now I'm even more excited to see DDSA join forces with Orreco. This partnership can take tennis analysis to an entirely new level," Jabeur explained.

Her coach, Issam Jellali, added: "DDSA were instrumental in taking Ons from outside the top 50 to world No.2 and into three Slam finals. Their analytics influenced our match plans, training structure, and season-long decision-making. Orreco's scientific expertise combined with DDSA's tennis intelligence is a powerful opportunity for the future of our sport."

DDSA supported coaches by:

• Breaking down tactical sequences

• Analysing pressure patterns

• Identifying stylistic mismatches

• Long-term game development mapping

• Opponent scouting and pre-match planning

Not only has DDSA made a positive impact on the WTA Tour, but it has also had an impact at the international level.

Japan's Billie Jean King Cup Captain and former doubles world No.1, Ai Sugiyama, has seen the analytics company thrive first-hand.

"As BJK Cup Captain, I've seen how DDSA's PlayerDex app transformed our match reviews and scouting," Sugiyama said. "With DDSA joining Orreco, tennis finally gets a unified performance system across training, recovery, injury management, and match analysis."

DDSA helped federations by:

• centralising match reviews

• standardising scouting

• national-team opponent reports

• junior pathway analytics

• tactical development frameworks

But when it comes to Australia, why does DDSA's success matter?

Australia has a rich history in sports science, but rarely does a local startup grow to set the global standard in a niche as competitive as elite tennis analytics.

DDSA did exactly that.

From Melbourne, with no institutional backing, the company:

• built world-leading AI and analytics tools

• partnered with Grand Slam champions

• supported multiple BJK Cup teams

• became a trusted part of elite coaching teams

• secured investments from global agencies

And now, with Orreco, an Australian startup becomes the clear global market leader in tennis performance intelligence.