Latest news with #LiudmilaSamsonova
Japan Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Naomi Osaka saves two match points to rally past Liudmila Samsonova in Montreal
Naomi Osaka fought off two match points for a three-set win over Liudmila Samsonova to reach the third round of Canadian Open on Wednesday as Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek cruised past her opponent to also advance. The four-time Grand Slam champion saved back-to-back match points in the 10th game of the second set, and she trailed 5-2 in the second-set tiebreaker on the way to a 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 triumph. Osaka, now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, notched her first win over a top-20 player since beating Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open. But she had to dig deep for the win after surrendering early breaks in each of the first two sets. Wimbledon quarterfinalist Samsonova served for the match at 5-4 in the second and led 40-15. The Russian fired a forehand long on her first match point and a lackluster drop shot effort on her second gave Osaka an opening, and the Japanese star pounced. Samsonova's double fault on break point allowed Osaka to level the set, and after storming back in the tiebreaker to force a third set Osaka took control early, breaking Samsonova twice on the way to a 4-1 lead. "She definitely came out really hard and, for me, I was definitely overwhelmed, and I didn't know if I should also be hitting winners," Osaka said. "But after a while I just tried to keep the ball in court," added Osaka, who snapped a four-match losing streak in three-setters. Osaka next faces Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Mexico's Renata Zarazua 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Swiatek, seeded second in her first tournament since her crushing victory over Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, breezed past Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1, breaking Guo's serve six times. Her untroubled tournament opener followed Osaka's battling victory over Samsonova. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, opened her Canadian campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund, avenging a third-round loss to the German at Wimbledon.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Swiatek cruises, Osaka battles through in Montreal
Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek cruised into the third round of the WTA Canadian Open on Wednesday as Naomi Osaka fought off two match points to advance with a three-set win over Liudmila Samsonova. Swiatek, seeded second in her first tournament since her crushing victory over Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, breezed past Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1, breaking Guo's serve six times. Her untroubled tournament opener followed Osaka's battling victory over Samsonova. The four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan saved back-to-back match points in the 10th game of the second set, and trailed 5-2 in the second-set tiebreaker on the way to a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 triumph. Osaka, now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, notched her first win over a top-20 player since she beat Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open. But she had to dig deep for the win after surrendering early breaks in each of the first two sets. Wimbledon quarter-finalist Samsonova served for the match at 5-4 in the second and led 40-15. The Russian fired a forehand long on her first match point and on her second a lackluster drop shot effort gave Osaka an opening and the Japanese star pounced. Samsonova's double fault on break point allowed Osaka to level the set, and after storming back in the tiebreaker to force a third set Osaka took control early, breaking Samsonova twice on the way to a 4-1 lead. "She definitely came out really hard and, for me, I was definitely overwhelmed and I didn't know if I should also be hitting winners," Osaka said. "But after a while I just tried to keep the ball in court," added Osaka, who snapped a four-match losing streak in three-setters. Osaka next faces Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Mexico's Renata Zarazua 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, opened her Canadian campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund, avenging a third-round loss to the German at Wimbledon. bb/mw
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Osaka saves two match points to overhaul Samsonova
Recently, Liudmila Samsonova and Naomi Osaka have become frequent rivals on the WTA Tour. Their second-round clash at the Montreal Open was their fifth meeting in the past 16 months, and lived up to its billing as Osaka came from a set and 5-3 down, saving two match points, to triumph 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in 2 hours and 37 minutes. 'She definitely came out really hard and for me, I was definitely overwhelmed,' Osaka said. (WTA)
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Wimbledon 2025 Preview: Swiatek And Bencic Meet In Maiden Semifinal
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 09: Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts while playing against Liudmila Samsonova in ... More the quarter-final on Day Ten of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2025 in London, England (Photo by) Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will face Belinda Bencic in the second Wimbledon semifinal, with both players making their maiden appearance in the last four at the grass-court major. A four-time French Open winner and clay-court specialist, Swiatek's previous best result at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal run in 2023, while Tokyo Olympic champion Bencic had only ever reached the last 16 three times. Swiatek, the 2018 junior Wimbledon champion, beat Russia's Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in the quarterfinals, saying she was proud of how her game on grass has developed. She now holds an 8-1 record on the surface this year — her best in a single season. "This year, I feel like I developed as a player, and I had time to practice a little bit more," Swiatek said after her win. "Match by match, my confidence, for sure, went up so that I can use it on this championship." Swiatek Praises Opponent Bencic LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 09: Iga Swiatek (R) of Poland shakes hands with Belinda Bencic of Switzerland ... More in the Women's Singles fourth round match during day seven of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by) The Pole awaits Swiss mum Bencic in the semifinals, after she edged out teenage Russian and seventh seed Mirra Andreeva in two tiebreak sets. Bencic, the first Swiss woman to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since Martina Hingis in 1998, returned to tennis last October — six months after giving birth to her daughter, Bella. "I can only imagine how hard it is to come back after pregnancy," Swiatek said. "We practiced in the first event this year in the United Cup, but it already seems like she's ready to be back in the rhythm. "For sure she has the game to play well here on grass. Yeah, I never doubted that she can't come back after pregnancy. She seems like she's in a good mood and she's playing well." Swiatek and Bencic have faced off four times, with the Pole leading their head-to-head 3-1. Their last meeting was also at Wimbledon — a three-set battle in the fourth round in 2023. Bencic, The Super Mom ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 08: Belinda Bencic of Switzerland holds her daughter ... More after victory against Ashlyn Krueger of the United States in the final during day seven of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, at Zayed Sports City on February 08, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by) Back in the top 20 after maternity leave and playing just the second Grand Slam semifinal of her career, Bencic said she was proud of her journey. "I didn't say it to myself much before but since having Bella I say it to myself every day," she told the crowd. "It's not only me — I wouldn't be able to do it without my amazing family and team. We worked so hard on the comeback. "We are enjoying life on tour and to play great is a bonus. I'm generally just really happy to be able to play again because my body allows it." Swiatek vs Bencic is scheduled to take place on Centre Court after the Sabalenka vs Anisimova semifinal.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Swiatek gets ‘goosebumps' after reaching first Wimbledon semi-final
Former world No 1 Iga Swiatek has gone under the radar at this year's Wimbledon. (AP pic) LONDON : Iga Swiatek said she had 'goosebumps' after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her illustrious career with a 6-2, 7-5 win against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova today. The Polish eighth seed will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva or former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic for a place in Saturday's final. Swiatek has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but has struggled on the lawns of the All England Club. Her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. Swiatek dominated the first set against 19th seed Samsonova on Court 1 but was made to battle in the second set before wrapping up victory in one hour and 49 minutes. 'It feels great. Even though I'm in the middle of the tournament I've already got goosebumps after this win. I'm super happy and super proud of myself and I'll keep going,' she said. 'Honestly, I've really enjoyed playing this year and hopefully it's going to last as long as possible. 'For sure I feel like I really worked hard to progress here on this surface.' Swiatek broke twice in the opening set to take a firm grip on the match, benefiting from a flurry of unforced errors from her opponent and winning 100% of her points on first serve. Two double faults from the Russian 19th seed handed Swiatek an early break in the second set and she snuffed out a clutch of break points in the following game to go 3-0 up. The 24-year-old was pegged back as her level dipped and Samsonova pulled level at 4-4. But Swiatek regrouped and broke again to seal the win, finishing off her opponent with a fierce forehand winner. The former world No 1 has gone under the radar at this year's Wimbledon as most of the other top women's seeds have tumbled, though world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still standing. After slipping down the rankings, she is now back in the world's top four having reaching the Bad Homburg final on grass last month. Swiatek, a former Wimbledon junior champion, lost in the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year.
