Intro

In recent years, Yonex has become one of the leaders in keeping an array of extended length frames available in the market. With a new Ezone line introduced for 2020, it was only natural that Yonex produce a new Ezone 98+ to join the family. The new 98+ takes advantage of the same tech upgrades the regular length model received. Yonex uses a new elastic graphite called M40X in the throat of the frame. M40X maintains stability while giving the frame a better flex profile than the outgoing generation. The Ezone 98+ now also takes advantage of Vibration Dampening Mesh (VDM) in the handle. The handle integrates this mesh and it provides vibration dampening without overly muting the feel. Yonex also brings back Liner Tech grommets for additional power and comfort by elongating cross strings. The biggest difference is that the + version sports a bigger swingweight courtesy of its extra 1/2 inch length, giving it bigger pop and reach. Recently I got to hit the court with the Ezone 98+ and put it through its paces.

Groundstrokes

The bigger swingweight of the 98+ (333) immediately made itself known from the baseline. The 98 in head and Isometric shape provided a generous sweet spot. At 11.4 oz strung and fairly headlight, I had no creating plenty of speed from either wing. The boosted swingweight was outstanding at easily loading my ball with pace and depth. It took me a bit of time to adjust to the beefier specs but once I did, I was able to dictate from the back of the court with ease. I found the 98+ to have good directional control. While it didn’t feel as precise as something with a thinner beam, I was able to hit to aggressive targets consistently. This frame also felt smoother in the top part of the hoop, which was a welcome improvement over the previous Ezone generation. I still enjoyed Yonex 16 x 19 pattern that runs eight strings in the middle for extra density. I found this to give me a great blend of spin, control and string life. The spin friendly pattern and extra leverage from the extended length made it easy to get extra lift on my backhand especially. I found I could go from higher trajectory loopy rally balls to stepping in and flattening out midcourt balls with little to no fuss. The Ezone 98+ also felt more stable than its regular length brother, likely due to the higher swingweight. It soaked up heavy hitting with ease and only gave me issues on shots I had failed to adequately prepare for. The added length was also great for stretching out defensively and I found myself getting a frame on more balls and keeping points alive that would have likely been over with a different frame.

Volleys & Serves

At net, my relationship with the Ezone 98+ was a bit more complicated. Its easy put-away power made short work of anything opponents left up for me to attack. This frame did feel more cumbersome to me during quick volley exchanges. My low level of experience with extended frames made me feel like the racquet was slow to position and turn over side to side during fast volley wars. The upside was that it made me hyper focused on attacking and staying in front of volleys. Directional control was solid when I was on time. I was able to drive the ball deep into the corners and create some sharp angles off the court. Touch on this model was also much improved over the last Ezone. I enjoyed the softer feel of this version and had better success hitting drop and touch volleys at the net. The stability of the 98+ was also another positive aspect at the net. It defended pace easily and was rock solid when I was reaching out for stab volleys. While it felt slow to react at times, the better I prepared and anticipated shots, the more the Ezone 98+ rewarded me.

It was bombs away on serve with the Ezone 98+. The extra leverage and swingweight gave me impressive pop on serve. I was able to blister flat first serves at will to anywhere in the box. I thoroughly enjoyed getting free points with a big serve on a consistent basis. I did feel the static and swing weights caught up to me physically over time and my first serve percentage wasn’t as high in later stages of matches. The 98+ also had solid accuracy on serve. I was able to move serves around the box and break location patterns confidently when I needed to. My second serve was also enjoyable with this frame. The extra leverage at the top gave me some extra jump on kick serves and really drove slice serves down through the court. Similar to my first serve, I could feel myself losing some racquet head acceleration overhead, but that was more of a physical issue adjusting to the racquet than a knock on the frame. Overall, the racquet produced big action and pace on serve and gave me a real weapon to utilize on service games.

Feel & Comfort

Like the standard length new Ezone, the Ezone 98 + was a welcome improvement in feel over the last version. VDM in the handle was superb at absorbing vibration without totally killing feedback on contact. I also loved that Yonex seemed to take feedback to heart and addressed the firm, brassy upper hoop issue that plagued the last version. This model felt smoother across the entire string bed and much more uniform in its response. With a mid 60s flex, the frame was also adept at mixing in touch shots and letting me play with feel. I found the 98+ to play very comfortably, even strung with a full bed of poly. Off center shots felt firm but were never jarring and the sweet spot had great cushion and energy return. The Ezone 98+ should pair favorably with a wide variety of string and tension types.

Overall

Across the board, the new range of Yonex Ezones harkens back to the highly regarded DR era. This racquet takes the impressive blend of power, control and spin and turns it up a notch, especially from the baseline and on serve. The Yonex Ezone 98 + is an excellent choice for experienced players who can unlock the potent mix of attributes that its extended length offers.

Note: This racquet was strung with Yonex PolyTour Strike 16G at 52 pounds.

About the Reviewer: Matt Locke formerly served for 3 years as the Junior Programs & Development Coordinator for USTA-Idaho. He is a PTR certified coach and is an active USTA 4.5 League and Tournament player.