Diana Shnaider wins her first WTA title on grass at the Bad Homburg Open, defeating Donna Vekic in a thrilling final, just days before her Wimbledon debut.
Bollywood Fever: Diana Shnaider clinched her first WTA title on grass, defeating Donna Vekic 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the final of the Bad Homburg Open on Saturday. This victory comes just days before her debut in the Wimbledon singles main draw.
The final began with an electrifying first set where Russia’s Shnaider took an early lead, going 3-1 up. However, Croatian Vekic’s powerful returns made Shnaider work hard to hold each serve. Shnaider saved two break points to go 5-2 up, enduring a game that went through seven deuces before finally holding serve. In her next serve, Shnaider faced another prolonged battle, saving three set points and fighting back from seven break points, ultimately winning the set with an ace.
Vekic gained momentum in the second set, quickly securing her first break of the match to lead 2-0 and breaking again to level the match at one set each.
The final set started evenly, with both players breaking each other’s serve early on. The 20-year-old Shnaider remained composed under pressure, breaking Vekic’s serve twice in succession to seal her victory.
“Very glad I was able to play one of the best weeks of my life… hope I can keep going like this,” Shnaider said after lifting the tournament’s elephant-shaped trophy, her second career title.
Vekic, who lost her second WTA final on grass, praised Shnaider’s performance, saying, “What a match you played… you really deserved the title. I got the small (elephant) this time and next year we will come back for the big one.”
Looking ahead to Wimbledon, Vekic will face Wang Xiyu in the first round on Monday, while Shnaider, who failed to qualify last year, will take on Karolina Pliskova.
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