Diana Shnaider (No. 23) surprised Coco Gauff (No. 2) in the second round of the Canadian Open, winning 6-4, 6-1, and advancing to the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 for the first time.
Shnaider is having a fantastic moment in her career as she achieves her maiden top-10 victory. With multiple withdrawals, top-seeded Gauff lost a strong chance to win points in a draw, particularly since she will be defending titles in Cincinnati and the US Open in the next few weeks.
Shnaider defeats Coco Gauff, the first seed.
It was a hotly contested combat from the start, with Gauff starting the bout as the clear favorite and the backing of the audience. Despite having trouble with their first serves—Gauff only managed 56% and Shnaider 44%—both players were still able to keep the score at par for the most of the set. Gauff performed somewhat better when serving, but Shnaider was more tenacious when returning the ball. Serving at 4-5 in a set without a clear dominant player, Gauff ran into problems. Shnaider won the close set 6-4 after securing three break points at a crucial juncture.
The Russian took the lead and maintained her focus in the second set. She saved a break point in the third game, and from there, Gauff’s concentration noticeably dropped. Gauff committed several unforced errors and couldn’t maintain her strong service games from the first set, along with making multiple double faults.
Shnaider secured consecutive breaks in the 4th and 6th games, taking a clear lead over her opponent. Shnaider won 12 of the last 15 points played and closed out the victory 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 11 minutes. The 20-year-old continues her excellent form and is one of the breakout players of the season, being the only player to win titles on all three surfaces and rising to the verge of entering the top 20.
Shnaider will undoubtedly become the world’s No. 22 and achieve her greatest rating to date. She will play sixth seed Ludmila Samsonova (No. 13) in the quarterfinals. Samsonova easily defeated Elise Mertens (No. 35) in straight sets.