Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez Prediction Wuhan Open Tennis Picks 10/7/24

Diana Shnaider and Leylah Fernandez meet in the first round of the 2024 Wuhan Open. The match is scheduled for Monday, October 7, 2024. Here’s our Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez prediction. This article will also contain a Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez pick.  

Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez Preview

Diana Shnaider is making her Wuhan Open debut. The Russian is enjoying a stellar season, the best of her young career, with three titles won on three different surfaces to show for her efforts.

Shnaider is 49-20 for the season, easily occupying the upper end of the most wins by a WTA player in 2024. She sits at a career-high ranking of World No. 16 and can still push for a Top 10 spot before the end of the season. 

Her Asian swing began in Seoul, where she made the semifinal there and lost to countrywoman Daria Kasatkina. In Beijing, Shnaider lost in the third round to Magdalena Frech. The last time she lost to back-to-back matches was in June.

Leylah Fernandez enters this match in dire form. Like Shnaider, she is making her debut appearance at the Wuhan Open. Fernandez is a former World No. 13 but currently languishes in the 28th spot in the WTA rankings.

Her priority is to stay within the Top 30 at the end of the season, as that will almost guarantee her a seeding spot at next year’s Australian Open. The Canadian lefty has lost her last four matches on tour, including a straight sets defeat to Peyton Stearns in Beijing this past week.

Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez Head-To-Head

• Fernandez leads Shnaider 1-0 in their head-to-head, winning their lone meeting at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

Diana Shnaider vs Leylah Fernandez Prediction

Remarkably, Fernandez’s last win on Tour was against Shnaider in Cincinnati. Since then, the wins and the excitement have dampened. But that is not to say she’s playing poorly, as three of her last four defeats were in three sets. She’s still good enough to get a set here, but with her confidence on the floor, I’m inclined to back Shnaider, who has been the better player this season by a mile.

Nur Said's Pick: Diana Shnaider in three sets