“I mean, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, ‘Yes! I made it,'” Diana Shnaider said as she achieved her first victory over a top 10 player at the Canadian Open. The 20-year-old defeated the top seed, Coco Gauff, in what was her best career result up until that stage. It has been a breakthrough year for Shnaider, as she has become a talking point in the tennis circuit with some power-packed performances. With an eye on another title in 2024, Shnaider enters the Korea Open high on confidence.

Seeded fourth in the tournament, Shnaider faces Carol Zhao of Canada in the round of 16 after getting a bye in the opening round. She has been handed an easy path in the tournament and would look to take full advantage of it.

Diana Shnaider vs Carol Zhao: Preview

Apart from her exploits in the American hard-court swing that was capped off with a pre-quarterfinal appearance at the US Open, Diana Shnaider has had a wonderful 2024 season in general. She has already won three titles this year in Hungary, Hamburg, and WTA 125K in Paris. Additionally, she has had a consistent run in other tournaments in 2024. However, Shnaider is hungry for more success this year, and what better opportunity than the WTA Seoul, where she is seeded fourth.

On the other hand, the 29-year-old Carol Zhao is yet to win a title in her career, let alone this year. She has also played on the ITF circuit along with the WTA Tour this year but has found it tough in most of the tournaments. She hasn’t gone beyond the quarterfinal stage in any of the tournaments played this season. Against Shnaider, it would be a tall mountain to climb for Zhao.

Shnaider vs Zhao: Head-to-head

It’s early days for Diana Shnaider on the tour and Zhao, despite being inexperienced, has mainly featured on the ITF circuit. As a result, the two haven’t crossed paths before, and the WTA Seoul round of 16 match will be the first encounter between them. Despite being against an unfamiliar opponent, Shnaider will be the firm favorite to proceed to the next round.

Prediction: Shnaider to dominate the proceedings against Zhao

Statistically speaking, Zhao stands no chance against a rampant Diana Shnaider. While Shnaider has climbed to the 16th spot in the WTA rankings, Zhao lies outside the top 200, at the 272nd position to be precise. Further, Shnaider’s win-loss record in 2024 stands far superior to her opponent. The Russian star has won 45 and lost 17 matches in 2024, while Zhao has lost 25 of the 41 matches that she has played in this season.

Another major drawback of Zhao’s game is her weak serve, something which Shnaider will look to take full advantage of. During her first-round win over Back Da-yeon of Korea, the Canadian committed as many as 13 double faults. Thus, Shnaider has the odds stacked in her favor and is expected to win the match in straight sets. Their match is scheduled for tomorrow on the Center Court.