Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa clashes with 8th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 32 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open.
Paula Badosa
The Spanish star won a thrilling match against Harriet Dart in the United Cup to kickstart the new season. She made it to the semifinals of the Adelaide International 2 with wins against Anett Kontaveit, Kaia Kanepi, and Beatriz Haddad Maia. She pulled out of her semi-final clash against Daria Kasatkina owing to a thigh injury that she suffered during the quarterfinals.
Badosa was forced to miss the Australian Open. She is back now and will be hoping to get back on track with a win against a tough opponent like Samsonova.
Liudmila Samsonova
The 24-year-old started the season with a win against Zhang Shuai in the first round of the Adelaide International 1. Samsonova lost in the second round against eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in two competitive sets. At the Adelaide International 2, Samsonova crashed out in the first round after losing to Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Liudmila Samsonova got the better of Jasmine Paolini in a one-sided affair. The 18th seed was ousted by the unseeded Donna Vekic in the second round. Samsonova also played the doubles event, teaming up with Veronika Kudermetova. However, she lost in the first round against the 4th-seeded team of Storm Sanders and Elise Mertens.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Liudmila Samsonova has had the upper hand against Paula Badosa. The former has a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline with her last win against the Spaniard coming in the 2021 Australian Open.
Prediction: Liudmila Samsonova to win in three sets.
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