WTA Bad Homburg: Angelique Kerber vs Diana Shnaider; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Angelique Kerber is all set to take on the promising youngster, Diana Shnaider, in the first round of the Bad Homburg Open. After staying out of action for quite a while, the 36-year-old German tennis star made a comeback on the tour in the 2024 season. However, the former world number one, Angelique Kerber has failed to make a significant impact in her previous tournaments this year. Her best results have been reaching the R16 twice this season. On the other hand, the 20-year-old Russian tennis star had a stellar start to her season this year!

Diana Shnaider won her maiden WTA Tour title at the 2024 Hua Hin Championships and after that, she also won the WTA 125K Paris, FR event. Apart from those two impressive results, Shnaider has also made it to one final and one QF this season. Now, the question is how bright is her flair to outshine the vast experience of Angelique Kerber?

Angelique Kerber vs Diana Shnaider: Preview

Angelique Kerber is entering this tournament after her first-round exit at the Grass Court Championships in Berlin. The Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova defeated her by 7-6(4),2-6,6-4 in that match. Kerber hit seven aces in that match and committed five double faults. She won 70% of her first serves compared to just around 54% of her second serves against Noskova. The German converted three out of her six break points in that match.

So far, Angelique Kerber has managed to hit only 22 aces this season but has committed 56 double faults. She has won 58.3% of her service games and 33.7% of her return games. How do her numbers compare to Diana Shnaider’s?

Shnaider has been quite impressive this season, but she faced defeat at the hands of Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the QF of the Birmingham Classic. In that match, the Italian defeated her 5-7,6-4,6-2. Now, making a comeback from that disappointing loss will be the biggest challenge for Diana Shnaider in this match. She hit just two aces in that match and committed three double faults. Her first serve win percentage was 55% while on the second serve, it was 52%. Shnaider converted four out of her ten breakpoints in that match.

Looking at her numbers from this season, Diana Shnaider has so far hit 31 aces and committed nearly 48 double faults. She has won 69.2% of her service games and 31.6% of her return games. The contest looks quite close when looking at these numbers, right?

Kerber vs Shnaider: Head-to-Head

Well, even in the head-to-head, there is nothing much to separate them. They haven’t played against each other in their careers so far. However, Angelique Kerber won this tournament in 2021 and one must not forget she is a three-time Grand Slam champion. She won the Wimbledon Championships in 2018, so surely the German is a force to reckon with on this surface. On the other hand, Diana Shnaider has never competed in this tournament before. Can she come up with a surprise package on Monday (June 24)?

Prediction: Kerber to win this match in three sets

Experience over Promising Talent! Angelique Kerber has been seen struggling in the last few months to make a significant impact on the tour, and she has also dropped to number 221 in the world. However, she has vast experience playing at the bigger stages of the game, and this can come in handy against a relative newcomer like Diana Shnaider. The German currently has a win-loss record of 7-12, compared to 11-11 for the Russian. 

Angelique Kerber is a defensive baseliner known for her agility, athleticism, and incredible footwork, but has age taken a toll on her strengths? Her biggest strength is strong forehand down the line and her major weakness has been her serves. She has a counter-punching style of play and can draw points from longer rallies. Kerber can hit powerful groundstrokes from defensive positions and snatch points from her opponents.

Diana Shnaider, on the other hand, has a fearless brand of tennis. Her biggest weapon is her slashing forehand and incredible serving abilities. She has a more attacking style of play compared to Kerber, but is it enough to topple the German? Perhaps not.