Donna Vekic and Diana Shnaider meet in the first round of the WTA Bad Homburg Open in Germany. The match is scheduled for Monday, June 23. Here’s our Donna Vekic vs Diana Shnaider prediction. This preview will also include a Donna Vekic vs Diana Shnaider pick.

Donna Vekic vs Diana Shnaider Preview
Donna Vekic is stepping up her efforts on grass just before she heads to Wimbledon to defend last year’s semifinal points. The Croatian is currently on a three-match losing streak after a winless start to the grass-court season. Vekic suffered a shocking first-round loss to Anastasia Zakharova at Queen’s and was equally ineffective in a straight-sets loss to Diana Shnaider this past week in Berlin. This will be her third grass-court tournament this month, and it is starting to look an almighty task for Vekic to replicate last year’s 10-4 record on the surface.

Vekic drew Diana Shnaider for the second time in as many weeks. Shnaider is the second seed at the Bad Homburg Open. The 21-year-old is also the defending champion. She was the only woman who won titles on all three surfaces last season. Shnaier lost only two sets during her title-winning week, and one of those was to Vekic in the final. Because this is a stacked field with many big names signing up to get minutes on grass, this rematch is only a first-round this time. Unlike Vekic, Shnaider has won three matches and lost twice on grass this swing. And in both defeats against Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova, the Russian has won at least a set.

Donna Vekic vs Diana Shnaider Head-To-Head
Vekic and Shnaider have played three times. It is the young Russian who leads 2-1, with both victories coming on grass. Vekic beat Shnaider in three sets en route to the round of 16 of this year’s Australian Open.

Donna Vekic vs Diana Shnaider Prediction
Vekic and Shnaider cannot avoid each other, it seems. This will be their fourth meeting in 12 months and it all started in Bad Homburg last year when Shnaider won the final. I do expect a more competitive Vekic to turn up here after a poor start this swing. She’s running out of matches and time to find her feet before Wimbledon. That said, the Vekic set handicap is worth looking at here.

Nur Said's Pick: Vekic set handicap +1.5