Hailey Baptiste (US Open - Twitter)
The exciting Diana Shnaider takes on America’s Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals of the WTA Montevideo Open on Friday.
The 18-year-old has had a solid season so far and has managed to reach her third consecutive quarterfinal at WTA 125 events in three weeks. If she manages to go the distance at Montevideo, it would be her biggest triumph thus far in her career.
Shnaider began her campaign with a hard-fought win in straight sets against the fourth seed Sara Errani 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. She could have won the match relatively easily but her issues with serves forced her to work extra hard. Shnaider committed as many as 7 double faults in the match. In the round of 16, Shnaider produced a fine display against Emiliana Arango. She defeated the Colombian youngster in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
The 21-year-old is still searching for her first ITF title this season. She missed a few months due to injuries this year and won her first completed match since her win in the qualifiers of the French Open.
In the first round, Baptiste produced a sensational come-from-behind win against seventh seed Laura Pigossi. Baptiste was down by three match points at one point in the second set but she managed to dig deep to secure a 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 victory. Baptiste committed 13 double faults but luckily, that did not come back to haunt her. In the second round, Baptise defeated Argentina’s Julia Riera 6-1, 7-6 (7-4). In this match, Baptiste still committed six double faults and she will like to keep a check on that as the tournament rolls on.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never faced each other as yet.
Prediction: Diana Shnaider to win in three sets.
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