Top seed Diana Schnaider beat 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-2 in 1 hour and 27 minutes to reach the fourth final of her season in Hong Kong.
Schnaider earned the first break in the first game. Fernandez broke straight back in the second game to draw level to 1-1. Both players held on their serve until the seventh game when Schnaider converted her second break point to take a 4-3 lead. Fernandez pulled back on serve immediately to draw level to 4-4 and served out the opening set 6-4 on her fifth set point.
Schnaider earned her fourth break of the night in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. Fernandez needed a medical time-out to treat an injury on her left foot. Schnaider broke for the second time in the seventh game for 5-2 and served out the win on her first match point.
Earlier this week Fernandez beat Heather Watson, Kimberly Birrell and Bernarda Pera in straight sets in her bid to become the first woman to successfully defend the Hong Kong title in 43 years.
Schnaider won three WTA Tour singles titles in 2024 in Budapest, Bad Homburg and Hua Hin and the Olympic silver medal in the women’s doubles at the Olympic Games in Paris with Mirra Andreeva. The Russian player also reached the fourth round at the US Open and the semifinal at the WTA 1000 in Toronto. Last year she lost the final in Ningbo against Ons Jabeur. She has moved up to a career-high of world number 14 in the WTA Ranking.
“I had lost to Leylah twice. She has the experience in matches like this. She is an unusual player, playing very close to the baseline and cutting your time. She is moving like crazy, she is stepping in, playing aggressive, coming into the net”, said Schnaider.
Fernandez had won both of her previous head-to-head matches against Schnaider in Cincinnati (6-1 6-4) last and in Wuhan (6-7 6-3 6-3).
“I made too many mistakes and I was too offensive at times, but it has been a successful week for me. Diana is an incredibly powerful player, is having an incredible year. She played a great match from the beginning to the end. She did not make many mistakes, and took advantage from those openings. I think it’s a little bit hard at the moment to find positivity, but getting to the semifinals is somewhat good end to the season. I just wish it could have ended differently”, said Fernandez.
Shnaider will face Katie Boulter for the first time in her final in tomorrow’s final.
