SM
Man Utd vs. Chelsea: 1 day 3 hrs 3 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Preview: Katie Boulter vs. Diana Shnaider - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

:Headline: Preview: Katie Boulter vs. Diana Shnaider - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Hong Kong Open final between Katie Boulter and Diana Shnaider, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.
Sports Mole

Vying for title number four on the WTA Tour, British number one Katie Boulter squares up to top seed Diana Shnaider in the final of the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.

Boulter's semi-final showdown with Yuan Yue went the distance before the former triumphed in three, while her youthful foe laid down a serious marker by defeating 2023 winner Leylah Fernandez in the last four.


Match preview

While Boulter's first-ever meeting with Yuan at this year's Australian Open saw the Briton prevail in two sets, it was a far from straightforward affair for the second seed Down Under, and she was pushed to the brink by her Chinese foe in Saturday's Hong Kong semi.

However, a blistering start to the deciding set proved telling for the world number 29, who came out from their two-hour and 33-minute marathon with a 6-2 5-7 6-2 victory under her belt to reach final number four on the WTA Tour.

The semi-final slog was chalk and cheese for Boulter as far as her serving was concerned, as she landed an astonishing 96 of her 99 first serves for a success rate of 97%, but on the three occasions that she missed a first serve, she registered a double fault each time.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old's offensive prowess came to the fore as she brought up 15 break points on the Chinese player's serve, converting six of them to ensure that she would at least go one better than her semi-final exit at the Toray Pan Pacific Open last month.

Boulter is also yet to settle for a runners-up prize on the WTA Tour, winning each of her first three top-level finals in Nottingham (twice) and San Diego, but whatever transpires on Sunday, she will be able to call herself a top-25 player for the first time in her career.

An embryonic but established foe stands in Boulter's way of a fourth WTA title from four finals, as 2004-born Russian Shnaider seeks to live up to her top seed billing after denying Fernandez the chance to defend her Hong Kong title in Sunday's final.

The youthful pair locked horns on Saturday just a month on from their battle at the Wuhan Open in China - which Fernandez won in three - but Shnaider exacted revenge for that loss and a comprehensive defeat to the Canadian in Cincinnati with a 6-4 6-2 victory.

In strikingly similar fashion to Boulter's semi-final win, Shnaider only missed one first serve throughout and double-faulted on the occasion that she had to take a second serve, but she exhibited her raw power to convert five of the eight break points that she fashioned.

Currently sitting at a career-high ranking of world number 14, the 20-year-old is also bidding for her fourth WTA title and fourth top-level crown of the year, having already conquered the Bad Homburg Open, Hua Hin Championships and Budapest Grand Prix in the 2024 season.

While both Boulter and Shnaider are on three-match winning streaks in championship contests, the latter does know what it feels like to stumble at the final hurdle unlike the British number one; her maiden WTA Tour final in Ningbo last year ended in a thrashing at the hands of Ons Jabeur.


Tournament so far

Katie Boulter:

First round: vs. Aoi Ito 6-4 6-4
Second round: vs. Wang Xiyu 7-6[7] 6-4
Quarter-final: vs. Anastasia Zakharova 6-4 6-0
Semi-final: vs. Yuan Yue 6-2 5-7 6-2

Diana Shnaider:

First round: vs. Kyoka Okamura 6-3 6-3
Second round: vs. Priscilla Hon 6-4 6-1
Quarter-final: vs. Suzan Lamens 6-0 6-7[4] 6-2
Semi-final: vs. Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2


Head To Head

Sunday's showpiece will mark the first-ever meeting between Boulter and Shnaider at the top level, and a fascinating battle ought to ensue between the right-handed British number one and the left-handed Russian.

Twenty-eight-year-old Boulter is significantly more experienced than her 20-year-old foe and also stands considerably taller at 5ft 11in - Shnaider is 5ft 6in - but the Russian's 69% win rate in 2024 trumps Boulter's 62%.


We say: Shnaider to win in three sets

If Boulter and Shnaider's semi-final serving clinics are anything to go by, neither will get a look at the other's second serve on Sunday, where two front-footed players should serve up a brilliant spectacle.

However, having taken down the defending champion with relative ease, the ferocious Shnaider - who was also a little more clinical on break points in her semi-final - just gets our vote to triumph in Hong Kong.

body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__557162 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-11-02 11:34:14:
html db last update - 2024-11-02 11:34:14 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:
KB
Read Next:
Thunder-Boult: British number one storms to opening Japan victory
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Katie Boulter Diana Shnaider Yuan Yue Leylah Fernandez Priscilla Hon Kyoka Okamura Ons Jabeur Aoi Ito Wang Xiyu Anastasia Zakharova Suzan Lamens Tennis
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Thunder-Boult: British number one storms to opening Japan victory
Real Madrid 'planning blockbuster move' for £109m-rated German superstar
Can Van Nistelrooy inspire win over Chelsea? Premier League GW10 predictions
Amorim reveals Man United rejected request to delay move

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Saturday's Premier League predictions including Newcastle vs. Arsenal

1

SP

Real Madrid 'planning blockbuster move' for £109m-rated German superstar

2

RM

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Atlanta Hawks - prediction, team news, form guide

3

NO

Preview: Samsunspor vs. Antalyaspor - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PS

Saturday's Ligue 1 predictions including PSG vs. Lens

5

SL

Saturday's Championship predictions including Leeds vs. Plymouth

6

SC

Saturday's La Liga predictions including Girona vs. Leganes

7

SL

Saturday's Bundesliga predictions including Borussia Dortmund vs. RB Leipzig

8

SB

Amorim reveals Man United rejected request to delay move

9

AR

Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Man City - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PC


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .