Ludmilla Samsonova wins 2022 Citi Open: Decoding her stats
Russia's Liudmila Samsonova won the Citi Open after beating sixth seed Kaia Kanepi in the final on Sunday. The former triumphed (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) in an hour and 40 minutes to claim her second WTA title. As per WTA, Samsonova is 2-0 in the WTA singles finals. Her opponent Kanepi was vying for her fifth career title. Here are the key stats.
How did Samsonova fare in the tournament?
Samsonova beat Elise Mertens 7-6(4), 6-4 in the first round. The Russian defeated Ajla Tomljanovic in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-2). Samsonova then beat Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-1 to reach the semi-finals. In the penultimate clash, the former thrashed Xiyu Wang 6-1, 6-1. In the final against Kanepi, Samsonova staged a terrific comeback after being 6-4 behind.
Second Top 10 win of her career
Samsonova secured the second Top 10 win of her career after beating the reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Notably, Samsonova saved four set points while winning the first set. She smashed a total of nine aces in the match.
Samsonova is 15-14 in 2022
Samsonova clinched her first title of the ongoing season. She now has a win-loss record of 15-14 in 2022. Earlier this year, the Russian reached the semi-final in Stuttgart. She lost the penultimate clash to Iga Swiatek. In Adelaide International 2, Samsonova lost the quarter-final to Madison Keys. Marketa Vondrousova defeated the latter at the Australian Open (2-6, 5-7).
Career-best ranking of Samsonova
Samsonova, now ranked 42nd, attained a career-high ranking of number 25 in April this year. The Russian reached the landmark ahead of the semi-final in Stuttgart. Samsonova defeated Chloe Paquet, Karolina Pliskova, and Laura Siegemund en route to the semi-final.
Samsonova won her maiden WTA title as a qualifier
Samsonova raced to her maiden WTA title in July 2021. The 23-year-old reached the landmark by defeating fifth seed Belinda Bencic, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in Germany. She also earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals. Samsonova won the tournament as a qualifier, having beaten Noma Noha Akugue and Ana Konjuh in the two qualifying rounds.
