Shnaider downs Alexandrova to claim Monterrey Open title

LONDON (Agencies): Russian Diana Shnaider continued her impressive winning streak in tour-level finals at the Monterrey Open on Saturday, beating compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the WTA 500 event’s final. Shnaider had little trouble in the opening set but struggled in a topsy-turvy second, as Alexandrova clinched the set’s fifth and decisive break at 5-4 to force a decider. Third seed Shnaider carved out an advantage early on in the third set when she broke Alexandrova in the first game and held serve to go 2-0 up, an advantage she would not relinquish. World number 12 Shnaider is now unbeaten in her last five finals on the WTA Tour, adding the Monterrey crown to her triumphs in Hong Kong, Budapest, Bad Homburg and Hua Hin last year. The win also saw Shnaider level her head-to-head record with Alexandrova, who was faced with a quick turnaround for the final after her semi-final against Czech Marie Bouzkova was moved from Friday to Saturday due to a rain-enforced suspension.

“It was harder to switch from one match to another because when you’re playing one match and you’re done, your mind is going like ‘today is off so you can relax’,” Alexandrova said. “Today it was different, so after the semi-final you still need to be fully focused and be ready for the final, so maybe that was missing in the first set. I couldn’t find the rhythm, I wasn’t quite ready to play right from the first point.” Both players will have little time to rest after the final before they make the nearly 2,000 mile journey from Monterrey to New York to play in the first round of the U.S. Open, which begins on Sunday. “I hope that I will carry this momentum with me. For sure, it’s going to be a different tournament, different conditions,” said Shnaider, who reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open last year. “I will just try to go there, rest tomorrow and then we’ll try to prepare for New York. We will see how it goes. I definitely spent a lot of energy this week, but I will just try to recharge and do my best in New York also.” Shnaider will face Germany’s Laura Siegemund, while Alexandrova takes on Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.