Adelaide International 1 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova.
Date: January 4, 2023.
Tournament: Adelaide International 1.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide, Australia.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $826,837.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will begin her campaign at the Adelaide International 1 against World No. 20 Liudmila Samsonova on Wednesday.
Sabalenka is coming off a quiet 2022 season, where she had a 33-22 overall win-loss record. After a slow start to the year, the Belarusian made amends and reached the summit clashes at the WTA Finals, Rosmalen and Stuttgart. She also made the last-four stages at the US Open, Cincinnati and Rome.
It was still a poor campaign by the World No. 5's lofty standards, especially after she won a couple of titles and reached two Grand Slam semifinals in 2021.
Sabalenka participated in the high-profile exhibition event, the World Tennis League, in Dubai last month. She lost both her singles encounters while winning her sole outing in mixed doubles at the tournament.
The 24-year-old will be eager to leave the setbacks behind and make a fresh start to the new season.
Liudmila Samsonova, on the other hand, had the most successful season of her career in 2022.
The 24-year-old won three titles in Tokyo, Cleveland and Washington DC, which propelled her to a career-high world ranking of 19 in October last year. The Russian also made the semifinals in Stuttgart and the Round of 16 at the US Open.
Samsonova kickstarted the new season on Monday with a come-from-behind 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 win over Shuai Zhang. She will be keen to continue the momentum against the second-seeded Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
Samsonova leads Sabalenka 1-0 in their head-to-head. The Russian earned a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over Sabalenka in their solitary meeting so far at Guadalajara in 2022.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
Liudmila Samsonova is the kind of player Aryna Sabalenka wouldn't like to face in her first match of the new year.
The Russian has a nearly impenetrable serve and a highly aggressive ground game. Her flat forehand is very much a weapon with which she looks to finish off points. Samsonova has also made huge progress in the mental part of the game, as evident from her success last season.
She has already provided a taste of the damage her serve is capable of doing by producing 17 aces against Zhang in her first-round match.
Sabalenka, too, is endowed with an extremely hard-hitting baseline game. However, her serve remains a point of concern and continues to leak a high number of double faults under pressure.
A recurrence of the issue could prove to be detrimental to her chances, especially with Samsonova arriving in this match with loads of confidence.
Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win in three sets.