Appearing in the round of 16 of a WTA event for the first time since the Hanna Bank Open in September, Diana Shnaider takes on Viktoriya Tomova in her first match at the Tokyo Open on Tuesday.
In the round of 32, the Bulgarian got past Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-3) 6-3, while Shnaider is coming off a round of 32 exit at the Ningbo Open versus Paula Badosa (6-4 3-6 3-6).
Match preview
After a series of early exits on tour, Diana Shnaider is hoping to get back on track at this tournament, which will begin for her on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Russian has been going through some growing pains in recent weeks, winning just one of her last three matches played, defeating Sofia Kenin in straight sets (6-2 6-3) during the China Open, only to lose her next encounter to Magdalena Frech (6-0 3-6 4-6).
The last time she made it this far on a hard court surface was at the Hanna Bank Open in South Korea, where she exited in the semi-final round versus Daria Kasatkina (3-6 4-6).
An Olympic silver medallist in women's doubles in Paris this past summer, Shnaider's best singles finish on the hard court this year came in March, when Elisabetta Cocciaretto defeated her in the final of the Charleston Pro 3-6 2-6.
She is the sixth-ranked player at this tournament, having won 72.1% of her service games in 2024, including 64.5% of her first serves.
While displaying plenty of raw talent, Shaniader tends to make her share of unforced errors, hitting more double faults (138) than aces (105) this year.
In her opening match, Viktoriya Tomova came up big in the clutch, winning 74% of her first serves to advance into the next round of the competition.
Tomova won four of her nine break point opportunities while winning the only tiebreaker of the match, improving her record on the hard court this year to 15-17.
Like her next opponent, Tomova's aggressiveness can often come back to bite her, with the Bulgarian hitting 134 double faults in 2024 and only 58 aces.
This year, in general, has been a rough one for her, as she has only won 61.5% of her service games, with a first-serve percentage of 65.4%.
So far this year, she has played 45 matches, and over that span, she has saved 52.6% of her break points and won 59.2% of her first serves.
Her return game has often kept her in matches throughout 2024, with Tomova capturing 44.3% of her return points and converting 44.9% of those opportunities.
Tournament so far
Viktoriya Tomova:
Round of 32: vs. Veronika Kudermetova 7-6 (7-3) 6-3
Head To Head
W60 Istanbul Open (2022) - Second Round: Shnaider wins 6-1 6-0
When these two met previously in 2022, it was no contest as Shnaider won 74% of her first serves, with Tomova only winning 23% of hers, while the Russian won 56% of her second serves, with her opponent only winning 33% in that department.
We say: Shnaider to win in two sets
Both players are prone to make their share of mistakes, but we trust that the power and speed of the younger Russian will enable her to advance.
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