Cincinnati 2021: Victoria Azarenka vs Liudmila Samsonova preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open
Match details
Fixture: (14) Victoria Azarenka vs (Q) Liudmila Samsonova
Date: 17 August 2021
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Cincinnati, United States
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 11 pm GMT, 4.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Victoria Azarenka vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Victoria Azarenka will open her Western and Southern Open title defense against Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
On the back of a decent grasscourt season in which she reached the semifinals in Berlin and the quarterfinals in Bad Homburg, Azarenka made a fine start to the North American hardcourt swing.
The former World No. 1 reached the quarterfinals in Montreal, edging Maria Sakkari in a tight three-setter along the way. She was eventually beaten by compatriot Aryna Sabalenka.
Azarenka is now back in one of her favorite hunting grounds. The Belarusian first laid her hands on the Cincinnati trophy in 2013 and then reclaimed the title last year.
However, the going won't be easy this year, with Berlin champion Liudmila Samsonova standing between Azarenka and a second-round berth.
Samsonova's career is on an upward trajectory. The Russian had a memorable grasscourt season, winning her maiden WTA title in Berlin as a qualifier. Five of the seven opponents she beat that week were ranked above her, including Azarenka.
The 22-year-old backed that up with her best-ever showing at a Major, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon.
She has been able to carry that confidence and momentum into the hardcourt swing as well. In Montreal last week, Samsonova upset the 12th seed Elena Rybakina in three sets before losing in the second round.
The World No. 52 has won a couple of matches this week in Cincinnati to qualify for the main draw and will be hoping to maintain her flawless record against Azarenka on Tuesday.
Victoria Azarenka vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
Liudmila Samsonova leads Victoria Azarenka 1-0 in the head-to-head, having beaten the Belarusian 6-4, 6-2 on the grasscourts of Berlin in June.
Victoria Azarenka vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
Against a big server like Samsonova, it is imperative that Azarenka gets off to a quick start. Falling behind early could be catastrophic as she might not get a chance to claw her way back into the match. That was the case in their last meeting, where the Belarusian dropped serve in the very first game and never found a way back.
That said, Samsonova has been inconsistent on serve this week. Her first serve percentage was dismal in qualifying; she landed just 43.8% of first serves against Vera Zvonareva and 59% against Anna Blinkova. Azarenka is a much better returner than Zvonareva and Blinkova, and will be able to attack the Russian's second serves.
Azarenka will need to stay away from Samsonova's strong forehand and instead attack her backhand relentlessly. But to do that, she will need to keep her own unforced errors at bay.
Azarenka has fond memories of this tournament and as long as she can play a clean match against Samsonova, she should be able to eke out a win.
Prediction: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.