Samsonova failed to advance past the first round of her first three tournaments this season, including the Australian Open. She turned things around by reaching the semi-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open, but lost again in the first round of the Qatar Open.
At the last tournament in Dubai, Samsonova defeated Victoria Tomova in straight sets and qualified for the 1/8 finals thanks to the withdrawal of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from the tournament. She then lost to Marketa Vondrousova 2-6, 2-6.
Osaka also had a poor start to 2024, and overall she is now ranked 287th in the WTA rankings. In Brisbane she lost in the second round, at the Australian Open and in Abu Dhabi she was eliminated after the first match and only in Qatar did she reach the quarterfinals, but there she won a match without a fight, as Tsurenko withdrew due to injury. .
In the first round in Indian Wells, Osaka met Italian Sara Errani. The four-time TBS champion fell behind twice with a break in the first set, but quickly found her game, winning four games in a row and with them the first game.
After that, Osaka was unstoppable. She dominated the second set, winning six games in a row to claim a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Samsonova and Osaka have never faced each other before, so their head to head score is 0:0.
Prediction for the match between Lyudmila Samsonova and Naomi Osaka
Osaka started weak against Errani in the previous round, but then rallied and played strong until the end of the match. She had some problems serving as she committed nine double faults. However, strong winds played a role.
Samsonova is ranked much higher in the WTA rankings (15th) than Osaka, but she is not playing for her ranking currently, having won only 4 matches this year.
With Osaka, Samsonova is known for her offensive game and this will be a fairly balanced match.
Osaka’s instability on serve could give Samsonova an advantage. But at the same time, the Japanese player is a more stable player when playing defense.
Samsonova’s current poor form gives Osaka a chance to win this match. The game can drag on, three sets and even tie-breaks are possible. But Osaka herself is still far from being in the best condition and Samsonova is considered the favorite in this match.
Forecast: Samsonova will win in three sets.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
