Shnaider vs Vekic: Bad Homburg Final Analysis (WTA 500)
The final featured 19 break points, Shnaider won 14 (74%). Of the other 157 points played, Vekic won 86 (55%).
cover 📸 credit: Bad Homburg Open instagram
Diana Shnaider (WTA # 49) defeated Donna Vekic (WTA #39) in the Bad Homburg final to rack up her 3rd title of the season, on three different surfaces and at three different levels — WTA 125 Paris on clay, WTA 250 Hua Hin on hard and now WTA 500 Bad Homburg on grass.
In a quality match, both players combined for 16 aces with 5 double faults and 56 winners on return and rally shots with 37 unforced errors.
The larger share of winners (34 plus 7 aces) came off the racquet of Vekic and she ended up winning 6 more points in the match (91-85). But Shnaider was clutch in her last 2 serve games of the opener (saving 9 break points in total) to keep her lead before closing out the set. And the 20-year-old raised her level again at the tail end of the match, winning the last 4 games to capture her biggest title to date.
Set 1 (Shnaider, 6-3)
A single break, in the 4th game, decided the set. Shnaider held on to it surviving a 20-point serve game at 4-2 and a 24-point game serving for the set at 5-3.
In those 2 games combined, Vekic failed to convert 9 break points. However, only once did she commit an unforced error. All the other break points were neutralized by winning shots from Shnaider.
1 Vekic return unforced error
3 Shnaider winning serves (1 ace)
1 Shnaider forehand winner
2 Shnaider forcing forehands
1 Shnaider backhand approach winner
1 Shnaider net winner
In the opener, there was a big difference in points served by each finalist (60 by Shnaider 60, 22 by Vekic). Shnaider got plenty of unreturned serves (17 in total) and that was the decisive factor. Otherwise, Vekic was superior when point played out. With 18 winners to 7 unforced errors, Vekic won 9 more rallies (34-25).
Points played on serve: Shnaider 60 / Vekic 22
Unreturned serves: Shnaider 17 / Vekic 4
Winners-to-unforced errors: Shnaider +4 / Vekic +11
Baseline points won: Shnaider 37% / Vekic 50%
Net points: Shnaider 7-for-10 / Vekic 9-for-9
Set 2 (Vekic, 6-2)
Vekic finally broke in Shnaider’s opening serve game of the set, on her 10th break point. After that big mental breakthrough, she ran away with the set. By the end, Vekic had doubled up on points won (29-15).
Losing only 3 serve points (and 2 on double faults), Vekic remained perfect at the net and continued to rule over baseline exchanges (61% baseline win-rate vs 35% for Shnaider).
Vekic on serve: 1st serves won 100% / 2nd serves won 70%
Unreturned serves: Shnaider 4 / Vekic 8
Winners-to-unforced errors: Shnaider -5 / Vekic +3
Baseline points won: Shnaider 35% / Vekic 61%
Net points: Shnaider 1-for-4 / Vekic 4-for-4
Each point is considered only once. Therefore, aces are not included in winner totals and double faults are not included in unforced error totals.
Set 3 (Shnaider, 6-3)
Shnaider got a 2-1 lead and the first break of the decider when she took advantage of 4 “serve+1” errrors from Vekic. But the lead was shortlived as Vekic immediately embarked on a run of 10 straight points.
With momentum on Vekic’s side, Shnaider needed to raise her level serving at 3-3 0/30. And that was exactly what she did.
From that moment, helped by 5 winning serves (including 2 aces) and 5 winners while committing a single error off a ball that deflected on the netcord, Shnaider won 17 of the last 22 points. She raced with the last 4 games of the match to clinch her 3rd title of the season.
Unreturned serves: Shnaider 7 / Vekic 6
Winners-to-unforced errors: Shnaider +4 / Vekic +2
Baseline points won: Shnaider 58% / Vekic 48%
Net points: Shnaider 0-for-3 / Vekic 2-for-5
Break Points
Players finished with contrasting conversion rates on break points.
Shnaider: 4-for-6, 67% BPs won
Vekic: 3-for-13, 23% BPs won