By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday July 21, 2024
The 20-year-old defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich to become the youngest player to win three WTA titles on three surfaces in a single season since 2009.
Photo Source: TTV
Diana Shnaider continues to rise up the rankings in 2024.
The 20-year-old Russian claimed her third title of the season in Budapest, and became the youngest WTA player to win titles on three surfaces in the same season since 2009, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-4, 6-4.
Shnaider is projected to rise to a career-high ranking of 23 in Monday’s WTA rankings.
She was ranked 110 this time last year.
“It was a great match,” Shnaider said on court after the final, adding that her mental composure and positivity was key to her victory. “Every game, every point counts, so I just tried to tell myself that every point I need to do my best, no matter what the outcome.”
The former NCAA standout at North Carolina State has won titles in Hua Hin (hard court), Bad Homburg (grass) and now the red clay of Budapest to become the youngest player to raise trophies on three different surfaces in a single season since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.
Shnaider is just the third southpaw to win titles on three different surfaces since 2000, along with Angelique Kerber in 2015 and Petra Kvitova in 2011 and 2018.
Shnaider had never played a clay final prior to this week.
134-ranked Sasnovich drops to 0-5 lifetime in WTA finals. The former World No.29 made it close, and had a break lead in the second set but dropped the final three games of the contest.