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Fixture: (16) Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit preview
Liudmila Samsonova and Anett Kontaveit are set to clash in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open.
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Samsonova started her clay swing with a crushing 6-2, 6-0 loss to Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She performed better at the Madrid Open, where she made it to the fourth round.
Samsonova defeated Maryna Zanevska in the second round. She then scored a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win over 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round. The Russian was up against Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth round but lost to her in straight sets.
Samsonova received a first-round bye here as a seeded player. This is just her second appearance at the Italian Open. She lost to Jessica Pegula in the first round last year.
Kontaveit was drawn against Alycia Parks in the opening round. The Estonian dropped serve in the very first game of the match, but bagged the next six games to clinch the set.
The second set played out in a similar manner. Parks held serve to kick things off, after which Kontaveit once again captured six consecutive games to win the match 6-1, 6-1. This marked her first win at the WTA level since February.
Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit prediction
Kontaveit will be pleased following her commanding win over Parks in the first round. She won 75% of her first serve points while going 6/10 on break points. The Estonian remained on top of the proceedings for most of the match.
Samsonova, like Kontaveit, prefers to attack from the baseline. The latter has slightly more variety in her game as compared to the Russian's all-out aggressive brand of tennis.
However, Kontaveit hasn't been the same since her injury woes. While her win against Parks was decisive, she'll need to raise her level even further if she hopes to defeat the World No. 16. Samsonova isn't known for her consistency, but she should be able to make it past the Estonian at the very least.
Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win in straight sets.
