Olaniyi AyoolaIn the second round of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, 13th seed Diana Shnaider delivered a commanding performance against American wild card Alycia Parks, securing a 6-1, 6-1 victory. This match marked their third career meeting, with the head-to-head record now favoring Shnaider 2-1.
Shnaider’s dominance was evident throughout the match. She achieved a 65% first-serve percentage, winning 79% of those points, and converted 5 of 7 break points. In contrast, Parks struggled with her serve, managing only a 45% first-serve percentage and failing to convert any of her four break-point opportunities. Overall, Shnaider won 64% of the total points played.
This decisive win was particularly significant for Shnaider, as it avenged her recent loss to Parks at the Qatar Open just weeks prior. In that encounter, Parks had triumphed in straight sets.
Leading up to Indian Wells, Shnaider’s season had been marked by inconsistency, with a 6-6 win-loss record. Her best performance was a quarterfinal appearance at the Adelaide International. Parks, on the other hand, started 2025 strongly, reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic, but had not advanced past the second round in subsequent tournaments.
Despite Parks’ recent victory over Shnaider and the advantage of playing on home soil, predictive models had favored Shnaider to win this match. Stats Insider’s simulations gave her a 66% chance of victory, while Dimers’ model estimated a 64% probability.
Shnaider’s performance at Indian Wells underscores her potential to make a deep run in the tournament. For Parks, the match highlights areas for improvement, particularly in serve consistency and break-point conversion. As the season progresses, both players will look to build on their experiences from this encounter.
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Olaniyi Ayoola
