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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Belinda Bencic vs (8) Liudmila Samsonova
Date: February 10, 2023
Tournament: Abu Dhabi Open 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, Abu Dhabi
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Belinda Bencic vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Second seed Belinda Bencic will face eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova in the final of the Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday, February 12.
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Bencic has had an impressive start to the 2023 season, winning 11 out of 13 matches so far, with the Adelaide International 2 to her name.
The Swiss entered the Abu Dhabi Open as the second seed and received a walkover in the first round. In the second round, she beat Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals where she triumphed 7-6(5), 6-2 over Shelby Rogers. Bencic faced Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semi-finals and defeated the Brazilian 6-2, 6-3 to book her place in the final.
Liudmila Samsonova, on the other hand, entered the Abu Dhabi Open following a second-round exit at the Australian Open. The Russian started the tournament 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Claire Liu. She then defeated Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 7-6(8) to book her spot in the quarter-finals.
Here, Samsonova faced fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova and beat her 6-3, 6-3 to set up a semi-final clash against Zheng Qinwen. The 24-year-old won the opening set 6-4 but Zheng bounced back to take the second 6-1 and force the match into a decider. Samsonova won the final set 6-4 to reach her fifth WTA singles final.
Belinda Bencic vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
Samsonova leads 3-0 in the head-to-head against Bencic. The last meeting between the two came in the final of the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup, with Samsonova winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the tournament for the Russian Tennis Federation.
Belinda Bencic vs Liudmila Samsonova odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Belinda Bencic vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
While Bencic has been in pretty good form this season, Samsonova will fancy her chances given her head-to-head record against the Swiss.
Bencic has a lot of variety in her game and will need to make the most out of her array of shots on Sunday. The 25-year-old will look to mix her powerful groundstrokes with slices and astute drop-shots.
Samsonova served 10 aces in her last match and will look to make the most out of her serve. The Russian has a solid forehand and will be keen to attack from the start of the match.
Samsonova might have an edge given her head-to-head record, but Bencic might just manage to break her losing streak against the Russian to win her second title of the 2023 season.
Pick: Bencic to win in three sets.
