Ludmilla Samsonova devastates Victoria Azarenka to reach Berlin final

Ludmilla Samsonova rocked the competition at the Bett1 Open in Berlin, Germany. 

Ludmilla Samsonova produced a devastating game that put her in the final of the Bett1 Open Saturday. The young Russian relied on her powerful forehand that broke the game of Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 on Steffi Graff Stadion at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in Berlin. It marked her a first career WTA final appearance and one that set her up for more while playing on the grass courts. 

The two met for the first time at a critical point to catch a premier title this season. The Russian did a great job pushing Madison Keys to the brink and edged her off to take the three-set victory. Going against the Belorussian would prove difficult as the power hitter brought more to the table. Azarenka proved just that against Jessica Pegula, whose tactics were challenging through three sets. Though she found a way to overcome her early mistakes, the 31-year-old making her second grass semifinal knew she couldn’t let a final spot slip away. With Belinda Bencic waiting for the winner, it came down to who got the best start over the other.

Azarenka opened service but committed too many errors that gave Samsonova the early break. The Czech flew through her service scoring a shutout against the former world number one. The Belorussian turned things around fast with a serve to love in the third, forcing errors from Samsonova. She found herself down 0-40 by Azarenka but rushed back to save every breakpoint, force deuce, and conduct her own path to hold serve. 

With a deficit in front of her, the 31-year-old knew that a hold in the fifth was necessary to keep Samsonova within reach. Through nine games, Azarenka continued to trail as they reached the business end of the set but fought to make her one-game cap disappear at the end. Playing against Samsonova’s serve proved difficult as the Russian launched fast crosscourt winners that brought up her third set point attempt. A drawn error gave Samsonova the early lead that took her 34 minutes to accomplish. 

Producing winners for the Belorussian was an obvious sight on the court as she launched 17 with many not returned. While she had only five unforced errors, the struggle to answer the Russian was becoming a major factor in her deficit. The opening game of the second didn’t get better for the 31-year-old as she faced further blast from the Samsonova forehand that gave her a break. 

The next three games were all in the Russian’s control as she continued her offense while adding power to the returns that wrecked the seventh seed to the brink. The Belorussian tried to fight her off again in the fifth when Samsonova stopped her from completing a service game. The Russian pushed for the breakpoints twice but couldn’t convert on her chances. Good court placement and her signature attack helped Azarenka get a second shot at the game that came on a long ball from the 22-year-old. 

Despite letting a game get out of hand, she remained defiant on serve in the sixth that put her a game from making the final. Samsonova played for the match on Azarenka’s service, which started with a big forehand shot and ended with an extension of the competition. There was a long road for Azarenka to come back from with Samsonova serving for the match. The 22-year-old quickly reached three match points against the seventh seed, relying on the second serve to watch her opponent return the ball wide, sealing the victory in one hour and five minutes.