Ningbo Open 2023 Final: Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider.
Date: September 30, 2023.
Tournament: Ningbo Open 2023.
Round: Final.
Venue: Yinzhou Tennis Center, Ningbo, China.
Category: WTA 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $259,303.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime.
Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider preview
Top seed Ons Jabeur will face Diana Shnaider in the final of the 2023 Ningbo Open. The Tunisian has looked in good nick during the WTA 250 event and will aim to win her fifth career singles title.
Jabeur started her campaign with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Diane Parry and defeated Tamara Korpatsch and former World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva to set up a semifinal clash against Nadia Podoroska.
The two-time Wimbledon runner-up started the match well and took the first set, 6-3. However, Podoroska bounced back in the second set and won it 6-1 to force the match into a decider. Jabeur then dominated the final set and took it 6-2 to book her place in the Ningbo Open final.
Meanwhile, Diana Shnaider started the ATP 250 tournament with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win over Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan to reach the second round. She then defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-2 before stunning second seed Petra Kvitova 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the semifinals.
Here, Shnaider was up against Linda Fruhvirtova and got off to a flyer by taking the opening set 6-4. She was in full control during the second set of the match and won it 6-1 to book her place in the Ningbo Open final.
Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider head-to-head
The two have never met on the WTA Tour before, therefore their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider odds
All odds are sourced from Oddschecker.
Ons Jabeur vs Diana Shnaider prediction
Jabeur will enter the match as the heavy favorite to win, given her form. However, Shnaider will also be in good spirits after reaching the final in Ningbo, so she should not be written off.
The Tunisian has won 132 out of 198 points so far on her first serve in Ningbo, with 14 aces to her name. However, she has also served 17 double faults and needs to be careful with her second serve at times.
Jabeur never shies away from playing aggressively and will look to mix up her groundstrokes with slices and astute drop shots. Her wide range of shots will come in handy for asserting her authority on Shnaider.
Shnaider has won 97 out of 148 points on her first serve throughout her four matches in Ningbo. Like Jabeur, she has also fetched a few aces (9) while serving a relatively larger number of double faults (10).
The Russian's numbers on her opponent's second serve have been decent, with 82 points won out of 133. The same can be said for Jabeur, who has won 78 out of 127 points.
While Shnaider beat several higher-ranked opponents en route to the final, Jabeur will be expected to show more composure and should get the win to lift her second title of the 2023 season.
Prediction: Ons Jabeur to win in straight sets.