Liudmila Samsonova

Liudmila Dmitriyevna Samsonova (Russian: Людмила Дмитриевна Самсонова; born 11 November 1998) is a Russian tennis player. She competed for Italy from 2014 to 2018.

Liudmila Samsonova
Country (sports) Russia (2014; 2018–)
 Italy (2014–18)
Born (1998-11-11) 11 November 1998
Olenegorsk, Russia
Turned pro2013
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$461,559
Singles
Career record177–108 (62.1%)
Career titles4 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 114 (3 February 2020)
Current rankingNo. 127 (21 December 2020)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open1R (2020, 2021)
French Open1R (2019, 2020)
WimbledonQ3 (2019)
US Open1R (2020)
Doubles
Career record28–28 (50.0%)
Career titles2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 666 (7 August 2017)
Last updated on: 27 December 2020.

She has career-high WTA rankings of 114 in singles, achieved on 3 February 2020, and of 666 in doubles, reached on 7 August 2017.

Samsonova has won four singles and two doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. She won her biggest ITF title at the 2018 L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo.

Career

Samsonova has won seven singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 3 February 2020, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 114.[1]

Juniors – world No. 65

Samsonova reached her highest ITF Junior Ranking on 18 July 2016, peaking at the 65th spot on the rankings.[2] Her biggest achievements were winning consecutive ITF Junior Circuit Grade 2 tournaments in 2016, defeating notable players such as Kaja Juvan and Marta Kostyuk.[3]

2013–2016: Professional debut, first ITF titles

In 2013, Samsonova made her professional debut at consecutive ITF Circuit $10k tournaments in Umag, but lost both her singles matches.

2014 saw Samsonova winning her first ITF title at a $10k event in Rome, beating three seeded players to clinch the victory despite being unranked. Her triumph allowed her debut on the WTA rankings at the 960th spot.

The upcoming two years saw the Russian struggle on the ITF Circuit, amassing a 11-12 win-loss record which caused her ranking to stagnate outside the top 1000. Nonetheless, she managed to return to the Top 1000 towards the end of 2016 after reaching the final of an $10k event in Solarino.

2017–2018: Breakthrough on the ITF Circuit

Samsonova's first real breakthrough came when she was leaving her teenage years. Reaching three $15k finals in Hammamet, Pula and Mâcon in 2017 respectively, the Russian almost halved her ranking and ended the year ranked 552nd.[4]

2018 was another decent year for Samsonova, having reached a total of four finals. Overriding her personal best results, the Russian won her first $25k title at the Open Castilla y León, stunning third seed Başak Eraydın in the final with the loss of just two games.[5]

Samsonova caused a huge shock at the L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo, an $60k event, coming through three rounds of qualifying to lift the biggest title of her career and breaking the top 200 for the first time in her career.[6][7] A 40-21 win-loss record helped Samsonova end the year inside the top 200 for the first time in her career.

2019: WTA and Grand Slam main-draw debut

Samsonova started the year with her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, but was defeated in the second qualifying round by Karolína Muchová. Choosing to compete in higher-level WTA tournaments with her ranking, the Russian fell in the qualifying rounds of Premier tournaments in St. Petersburg, Doha[8] and Dubai.

After a five-match losing streak to start the clay-court season, Samsonova stunned several higher-ranked players, including tenth seed Marie Bouzková, to qualify for the main draw at the French Open on her first attempt.[9] Despite losing in the first round to 23rd seed Donna Vekić, Samsonova reached a new career high ranking after the tournament.[10][11]

Reaching her second WTA Tour main draw at the rain-plagued Nottingham Open, Samsonova continued her good run of form before falling to former top-15 player Yanina Wickmayer in the final round of qualifying at the Wimbledon Championships on her debut.

Samsonova received her first direct entry into a WTA Tour main draw at the Ladies Open Lausanne, but lost to lucky loser Han Xinyun in the second round. In the following week, despite losing to Amandine Hesse in the final qualifying round of the Internazionali di Palermo, she received an entry into the main draw by virtue of an emptied lucky-loser spot. There, she stunned fourth seed and 56th-ranked Tamara Zidanšek in straight sets,[12] before hitting 41 winners to beat Lausanne champion Fiona Ferro in the quarterfinals to make her first WTA semifinal. However, she ran out of steam as she was defeated by eventual champion Jil Teichmann in straight sets.[13]

Choosing not to defend her title in Saint-Malo, Samsonova's ranking dipped from 131 to 163 in September but qualifying for the main draw at the Tashkent Open allowed her to improve her ranking. Going into the Internationaux de la Vienne, an $80k event, unseeded and looming, Samsonova strolled into the final without losing a set but lost to rising star Nina Stojanović in straight sets.[14] Her good run continued at the WTA 125k event, Open de Limoges, and reached the quarterfinals by beating top-100 players Camila Giorgi and Alizé Cornet.[15][16]

She ended the year with a 32–27 win-loss record with an impressive nine top-100 wins, partly due to competing in more WTA tournaments and facing tougher draws in the process.

2020: Continued presence on the WTA Tour

Starting her year at the Premier-level Brisbane International, Samsonova survived the qualifying rounds which included a straight-sets win over Kristina Mladenovic.[17] Drawing former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round of the main draw, Samsonova clinched the best win of her career by beating the American in three sets, serving 10 aces in the process and blasting countless winners with her "fearless aggression".[18] Although she was defeated by world No. 7, Petra Kvitová, in the second round, Samsonova headed to the Australian Open with a new career-high ranking.[19]

Beating Chinese rising star Wang Xiyu in the final qualifying round, Samsonova qualified for the main draw in Melbourne for the first time in her career.[20] Drawing former French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko in the first round, Samsonova was outpowered and committed 24 unforced errors en route a straight-sets defeat.[21] In the match, Samsonova also set the record of hitting the fastest serve on the women's side throughout the entire tournament in 2020.[22]

Heading back to Russia for the St. Petersburg Trophy, the Russian qualified for the main draw but fell to compatriot Anastasia Potapova in the first round.[23] Similar to 2019, Samsonova failed to qualify for the main draw at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Championships before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the tour to go on a hiatus for a couple of months.

With the tour resuming at the Internazionali di Palermo, Samsonova took part in the qualifying rounds and defeated Marta Kostyuk for the second time this year en-route qualifying for the main draw. Defeating Kirsten Flipkens in the first round,[24] and exacting revenge for her two losses to the Belgian in 2019, Samsonova set up an interesting clash with top seed Petra Martic. Despite leading by a set, Samsonova was unable to beat the Croatian, who ultimately reached the semifinals.[25]

Performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A P Z# PO G F-S SF-B NMS NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (P) postponed; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (F-S) silver or (SF-B) bronze Olympic medal; a (NMS) downgraded Masters Series/1000 tournament; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.[26]

Singles

Current after the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic.

Tournaments 20192020 2021SRW–LWin%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open Q2 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
French Open 1R 1R 0 / 2 0–2 0%
Wimbledon Q3 NH 0 / 0 0–0  – 
US Open Q2 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–Loss 0–1 0–3 0 / 4 0–4 0%
WTA 1000
Dubai / Qatar Open Q2 Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Italian Open A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Cincinnati Open A Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Career statistics
Tournaments 6 6 1 Career total: 13
Overall Win–Loss 4–6 2–6 0–1 0 / 13 6–13 32%
Year-end ranking 139 $461,559

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 11 (4 titles, 7 runner–ups)
Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$80,000 tournaments
$60,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$15,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jun 2014 ITF Rome, Italy 10,000 Clay Tess Sugnaux 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Win 2–0 Nov 2016 ITF Solarino, Italy 10,000 Carpet Kelly Versteeg 3–6, 6–0, 6–1
Loss 2–1 Mar 2017 ITF Mâcon, France 15,000 Hard (i) Mallaurie Noël 5–7, 2–6
Loss 2–2 May 2017 ITF Pula, Italy 15,000 Clay Fernanda Brito 3–6, 3–6
Loss 2–3 Dec 2017 ITF Hammamet, Tunisia 15,000 Clay Daria Lodikova 6–7(8–10), 4–6
Loss 2–4 Mar 2018 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 15,000 Hard Julia Terziyska 7–6(7–4), 0–6, 6–7(4–7)
Loss 2–5 Jun 2018 ITF Padua, Italy 25,000 Clay Fiona Ferro 5–7, 3–6
Win 3–5 Aug 2018 ITF El Espinar, Spain 25,000 Hard Başak Eraydın 6–2, 6–0
Win 4–5 Sep 2018 L'Open de Saint-Malo, France 60,000+H Clay Katarina Zavatska 6–0, 6–2
Loss 4–6 Oct 2019 Internationaux de la Vienne, France 80,000 Hard (i) Nina Stojanovic 2–6, 6–7(2–7)
Loss 4–7 Oct 2020 ITF Reims, France 25,000 Hard (i) Océane Dodin 4–6, 2–6

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner–up)
Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$80,000 tournaments
$60,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$15,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Sep 2015 ITF Pula, Italy 10,000 Clay Bianca Turati India Maggen
Tess Sugnaux		 6–4, 6–2
Win 2–0 Aug 2016 ITF Tarvisio, Italy 10,000 Clay Chiara Quattrone Angelica Moratelli
Anna-Giulia Remondina		 3–6, 6–4, [10–6]
Loss 2–1 Dec 2017 ITF Cordenons, Italy 15,000 Clay (i) Lucia Bronzetti Federica Di Sarra
Michele Alexandra Zmău		 2–6, 6–1, [8–10]

References
  1. "Liudmila Samsonova | Player Stats & More – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  2. "ITF Tennis | Liudmila Samsonova Juniors". itftennis.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  3. "ITF Tennis | Liudmila Samsonova Juniors Results". www.itftennis.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  4. "Liudmila Samsonova | Ranking History | Weekly & Yearly Rankings – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  5. "Eraydin y Samsonova, finalistas del Open Castilla y León-Villa de El Espinar". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  6. Cau, Giuliana. "Ludmilla Samsonova: "Il mio potenziale resta russo, ma l'Italia è la mia vera casa"". Tennis Circus (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. "Open 35 Saint-Malo. Le triomphe de la jeunesse". Le Telegramme (in French). 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  8. "Strycova cruises to kick off Qatar Total Open". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  9. "Mix of veterans, newcomers book spots in French Open main draw on final day of qualifying". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  10. "Liudmila Samsonova vs Donna Vekic". www.rolandgarros.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  11. "French Open 2019, Day 2 roundup: Konta moves past Lottner, Kanepi stuns Goerges". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  12. "'Everything was so good!' - Samsonova too strong for Zidansek in Palermo". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  13. "WTA roundup: Teichmann, Samsonova advance at Palerm". Reuters. 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  14. "Nina Stojanovic wins ITF singles title at Poitiers". Tennis World USA. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  15. Scognamiglio, Pietro (2019-12-17). "La nuova stagione di Giorgi parte male: KO a Limoges contro Samsonova". Ubitennis (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  16. "Tennis, WTA 125K Limoges 2019: Samsonova elimina anche Cornet, Parmentier vince il derby con Garcia". Your Site NAME Goes HERE (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  17. "Mladenovic vs. Samsonova | Qualifying Brisbane International 2020 | WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  18. "Osaka, Kvitova win openers in Brisbane". ausopen.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  19. "Brisbane: Osaka survives, Barty stunned". ausopen.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  20. "Trevisan beats Bouchard in Australian Open qualifying to make Slam debut". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  21. Martinez, Rudy (2020-01-21). "Australian Open 2020: Jelena Ostapenko wins against Ludmilla Samsonova". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  22. Melbourne, Stuart Fraser, Tennis Correspondent. "Australian Open: Coco Gauff is a fast learner who fears no one". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  23. "Focused Potapova primed for St. Petersburg breakthrough". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  24. "Ook Kirsten Flipkens is er niet in geslaagd om de eerste ronde in Palermo te overleven". Tenniskrant.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  25. "Martic survives Samsonova to book Palermo quarterfinals". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  26. "Liudmila Samsonova". Australian Open. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
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