Liudmila Samsonova (No. 15 in the WTA ranking) once again shouted champion after two years. After two hours and 34 minutes of play, the Russian defeated the Canadian Bianca Andreescu (N°228) by 4-6, 6-3 and 7-5 in the grand final of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
The surprise of the day was that the native of Olenegorsk (a city located north of the Arctic Circle) had to play two games! (semi-finals and final) on the same day due to the delay of the tournament due to the weather. Prior to his consecration, he resumed the match against his compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 16) and defeated her by 6-3, 6-7 and 6-1.
Your rival for the final, Andreescu, arrived with much more rest. She had contested the ticket for the definition on Saturday against the Hungarian Dalma Galfi, whom she easily beat 6-4 and 6-2.
For Samsonovathis trophy is the fifth at the WTA level of her entire career. ‘s-Hertogenbosch It joins the showcases along with those obtained in Tokyo (2022), Cleveland (2022), Washington (2022) and Berlin (2021).
Regarding the world ranking, although its position will not change, it continues to add points thinking about a possible future entry into the Top 10. What is the distance from being in that privileged circle are four players (Daria Kasatkina, Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Danielle Collins) and 918 points from tenth place, which is currently occupied by Ons Jabeur.
After her title, the Russian congratulated Andreescu, who only played her second tournament in 2024 and played her first final since Bad Homburg 2022: “Congratulations on your return. I know it’s hard. I can’t imagine what you went through. First of all you’re a great, nice person.”
The next challenge of Samsonova will be placed in the WTA 500 Berlin, where she will compete in the first round against her compatriot Veronika Kudermetova. If she wins, she will face one of the best players in the world: Elena Rybakina.
