2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin faces the in-form Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 32 of the 2023 Qatar Open on Tuesday.
Sofia Kenin
The American tennis pro began the season with a win against Xinyu Wang in the round of 32. Kenin lost to top seed and eventual champion Coco Gauff in the second round. She played well in the Hobart International and managed to reach the semifinals. She was eventually ousted by Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Kenin lost two more matches since that loss to Cocciaretto. In the first round of the Australian Open, she crashed out following a loss to two-time champion Victoria Azarenka. The Linz Open followed where the 24-year-old lost to Jule Niemeier after winning the first set.
Liudmila Samsonova
The world No. 15 comes into the tournament on the back of an impressive campaign in the Abu Dhabi Open. Samsonova managed to reach the finals where she won the first set against Belinda Bencic. However, the Olympic gold medalist made a strong comeback to win the match.
Samsonova’s season began with a win against Zhang Shuai in the first round of the Adelaide International 1. In the following round though, eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka got the better of the Russian star. Samsonova exited in the first round of the Adelaide International 2 after losing to Amanda Anisimova. The Australian Open was also a debacle for Samsonova as she lost to Donna Vekic in the first round. She will come into the Qatar Open high on confidence after finishing runner-up in the recently-concluded Abu Dhabi Open.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Sofia Kenin. She defeated Samsonova in the 2020 French Open in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Prediction: Liudmila Samsonova to win in straight sets.
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