Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider Prediction Ningbo Open Tennis Picks 10/14/24

Paula Badosa and Diana Shnaider meet in the first round of the 2024 Ningbo Open. The match is scheduled for Monday, October 14, 2024. Here’s our Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider prediction. This preview will also contain a Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider pick.

Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider Preview

Paula Badosa has reached the quarterfinals or better in four of her last five WTA tournaments. Since skipping the Olympic Games and opting to start the second half of the hard-court season earlier, Baodsa has been handsomely rewarded.

She won her first WTA title in two years in Washington in early August and has since continued in the same rich vein of form in subsequent tournaments, including at this year’s Asian swing.

Badosa was a semifinalist at the China Open in Beijing but decided to withdraw from the Wuhan Open, presumably due to fatigue. She will appear at the Ningbo Open for the first time. Badosa has won 18 of her last 22 matches on hard courts.

Diana Shnaider is another player who has enjoyed a fantastic season on the main tour this year. She has compiled a 49-21 record, with 25 match wins on hard courts. Shnaider has won three WTA titles this year, spread across all three surfaces. 

The Russian lefty is currently ranked a career-high No. 16 and, depending on her results in the remaining month of the season, can still achieve a Top-10 year-end finish for the first time in her career.

Shnaider made the final at the inaugural Ningbo Open last year, losing to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. 

Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider Head-To-Head

• Paula Badosa leads Diana Shnaider 3-2 in their head-to-head.

• They have played once on hard courts, and Shnaider earned a retirement win at this year’s Hua Hin Championships.

Paula Badosa vs Diana Shnaider Prediction

This is the best first-round match in the tournament. Their meetings have been fiercely contested, with Shnaider bringing energy and power to the table. Badosa, meanwhile, has unerring counterpunching skills and very solid groundstrokes. The Spaniard is very much in the conversation to qualify for the WTA Finals, but she will most likely need to win the title in Ningbo. Still, I wouldn’t put it past her to do so. Give me the in-form Badosa to win this blockbuster.