The world No. 30 Liudmila Samsonova takes on world No. 28 Zhang Shuai in the semi-finals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Saturday.
The 23-year-old has been in great form ever since she won the Citi Open in August. She has won 16 out of her last 17 matches and is only two wins away from bagging her third title this season.
Samsonova made a huge statement in the first match defeating the 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. In the round of 16, she defeated Wang Xinyu in straight sets after having to work hard to win the first set. The Spaniard Garbine Muguruza faced Samsonova in the quarter-finals but the Russian tennis pro proved to be too strong on the night and she won the match 6-4, 6-2 to progress to yet another semifinal.
The 33-year-old has had a fine season so far. She managed to win the Lyon Open and reached the finals in Birmingham. Shuai will be hoping to win her second title this season and she is just two steps away.
The Chinese veteran has been on a roll in the tournament so far. She began her campaign with a thumping win against Mai Hontama. In the round of 16, Shuai defeated the second seed, Caroline Garcia, in a closely-contested match. In the quarter-finals, Shuai faced Petra Martic. The first set was quite even. Both women had chances to take the set but eventually, it was Shuai who held her nerves to take the lead. In the second set, Martic looked a bit rattled as Shuai won the match 7-5, 6-2.
The head-to-head stands at 0-0 as the two players have not faced each other before.
Prediction: Zhang Shuai to win in three sets.
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