HUA HIN, Thailand — Russian teenager Diana Shnaider won her first WTA Tour title, topping defending champion Lin Zhu in the finals of the Thailand Open in Hua Hin.
Shnaider, 19, defeated the No. 2 seed Zhu of China, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in 1 hour and 59 minutes. She also eliminated top seed Magda Linette of Poland and third seed Xinyu Wang of China at the tournament.
Ranked No. 108, Shnaider is now 2-0 against No. 45 Zhu in her career. She converted all five break-point opportunities and won 63.6 per cent of her second-serve points. Zhu won just 37.1 per cent of her second serves.
Shnaider is the second teenager to win a WTA title this season, joining World No.3 Coco Gauff. The 19-year-old American started her season with a successful title defense in Auckland.
“The atmosphere here feels like a Grand Slam, I’m not lying,” Shnaider said on court.
“This is a Grand Slam for me here. The people and the energy has been amazing for me,” she added according to WTA official website.
Shnaider finished her breakout 2023 season at a career-high ranking of No.60. But she came into Hua Hin ranked No.108 and searching for her first win of the season. In January, she went 0-3 across Brisbane, Hobart, and the Australian Open.
Yet despite winning just one set last month, Shnaider tore through the Hua Hin draw and won all but two of the sets she played through the week.
With the victory, Shnaider improved to 2-0 against Zhu. The teenager defeated Zhu in their first meeting last fall, posting a 6-4, 6-0 win in Nanchang.
Playing in her second WTA final, Shnaider enjoyed a blistering start to take the opening set after 44 minutes.
She overpowered Zhu from the baseline and was efficient on her break chances, converting the two break points she earned to hand the Chinese veteran her first set-loss of the week.
Zhu turned the tables in the second set by taking advantage of a marginal dip in form from Shnaider. Zhu ran off four consecutive games to force the big-hitting final into a deciding set.
But after a lengthy set break, Shnaider returned to court with a renewed purpose. She quickly reset to break Zhu at love with a flurry of jaw-dropping baseline winners and consolidated the break to lead 2-0.
Shnaider did not relent. Battering backhands from the baseline, she broke Zhu for a second break to lead 4-1 and then, using her court coverage and touch, closed out the milestone victory with a stunning backhand winner.
Shnaider was perfect on break point conversions, breaking on all five of her opportunities. She also dominated Zhu’s second serve, limiting the Chinese veteran to a 37.1 per cent win rate. In contrast, Shnaider won 63.6 per cent of her second-serve points.
Top seeds Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi won their third team title, defeating No.2 seeds Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu 6-4, 1-6, [10-7].
