Shnaider battles past Eala for second straight week to make Tokyo semis
In the home stretch of 2026, Diana Shnaider and Alexandra Eala have gifted fans by kicking off what promises to be an electric rivalry between two of the most talented up-and-comers on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
It's advantage Shnaider after two thrilling battles in as many weeks. The second round of the BNB Ningbo Open saw the 22-year-old edge a top-quality 7-5, 6-4 tilt. A week later, the pair delivered an even greater blockbuster in the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis quarterfinals -- and despite being two points from defeat in the second-set tiebreak, Shnaider came out on top again, advancing 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in 2 hours and 52 minutes.
"This match deserved to be a final," said Shnaider in her on-court interview. "It was an insane level of tennis from both of us. I didn't believe I would be able to pull that win off, because she played insane. I was just trying to remind myself to keep fighting for every point, and that paid off."
Shnaider advances to her fifth semifinal of 2026, following Adelaide, Roland Garros, Washington and Ningbo. She'll face another fast-rising youngster, 18-year-old Slovak wild card Mia Pohankova. The 2025 Wimbledon junior champion is ranked No. 144 and contesting just her fourth WTA main draw this week, but she backed up her second-round upset of Naomi Osaka by defeating qualifier Alycia Parks 7-6(3), 6-3. Pohankova extended her positive record against Top 100 opposition to 10-6.
More to come...
