Diana Shnaider Wins First WTA Title of 2025 in Monterrey

Shnaider wins first WTA title of 2025

In just her second tournament working with coach Sascha Bajin, Shnaider showcased the fearless ballstriking and relentless baseline aggression that make her one of the most entertaining rising stars on tour. The 21-year-old produced highlight-reel shotmaking from start to finish, finding ways to outlast the big-hitting Alexandrova in a match filled with momentum swings. The first set was all Shnaider, and she was out to a big early lead, Alexandrova would finally gain the upper hand in the second set, but she couldn’t sustain it in the third.

After splitting the first two sets, Shnaider dug deep in the decider, keeping her composure in the critical moments and stepping up with clean winners to seal the title after securing a break of serve early in the third set. The result marks her first trophy of 2025 and propels her back into the Top 20 of the WTA Rankings. She will be #17 and the 20 seed at the US Open when she faces Laura Siegemund in her first match at the tournament shortly.

Mental Toughness and Composure Helps Shnaider Win in Monterrey

It was a final of outstanding quality, with both players trading blows from the baseline in a high-octane duel, but Shnaider’s ability to raise her level in the clutch ultimately proved decisive. With Bajin’s experience now in her corner, the left-hander looks poised to build on this breakthrough and continue her climb, after enduring a bit of a “sophomore slump” on the WTA Tour. The mental toughness and composure that Shnaider had to call upon to comeback in multiple matches this week in Monterrey when facing setbacks, including the 5 match points saved against Mertens (from 1-5 down in the third set), is a testament to the development of her game.

What’s next for Alexandrova

Alexandrova will be unhappy to lose the final, but she still rose to a career high ranking of #14 after reaching this 500 level final in Mexico’s second largest city. Anastasija Sevastova is her scheduled opponent at the US Open. It’s worth nothing, that she went three sets in the final, after playing nearly a full set of tennis in the morning against Marie Bouzkova in the semifinal.

Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez Win Doubles Title

Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez won 6-2 6-0 in the doubles final of the Abierto GNP Seguros against Hanyu Guo and Alexandra Panova. It’s the second doubles title for Bucsa on the WTA Tour in 2025. Melichar-Martinez is defending quarterfinal points at the US Open next week, the doubles specialist put together one of her best tournament performances in 2025, she’s advanced to 17 career titles.