'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMrAKR//xAAfEAABAgYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADAQIABAYRFiFCkaX/2gAIAQEAAT8AlGAyCmZYolM8+nFI7fNU6W0JOU2qXxj0TR//xAAZEQABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEiH/2gAIAQIBAT8AlSrsP//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAIf/aAAgBAwEBPwB1v//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Elena Rybakina vs (8) Liudmila Samsonova
Date: February 10, 2024
Tournament: Abu Dhabi Open 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, Abu Dhabi
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $922,573
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Top seed Elena Rybakina will square off against Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinals of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday.
After a first-round bye, Rybakina faced Danielle Collins in the second round and staged a comeback to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. She then took on lucky loser Cristina Bucsa in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina breezed through the opening set as she claimed it for the loss of just one game. Bucsa upped her level at the start of the second set to go 3-1 up but she wasn't able to sustain it after that. The Kazakh bagged five of the next six games to record a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Samsonova handed Lesia Tsurenko a 6-0, 6-1 beatdown in the first round. She followed it up with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Anhelina Kalinina to reach the last eight, where fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova awaited her.
Samsonova kicked off the proceedings with a break of serve and held on to the advantage until she served for the opener at 5-4. Krejcikova broke back at this point to level the score, but the Russian scooped the next couple of games to take the set.
Samsonova broke her opponent's serve twice in the second set to jump ahead 5-2. Krejcikova stopped her from closing out the match as she went on a two-game run to keep herself in contention. But the Russian wasn't to be denied and closed out the match on her next go for a 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
Samsonova leads Rybakina 4-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2023 China Open in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
After a tough battle against Collins, Rybakina had a relatively easier time against Bucsa in the previous round. Her serve was much better and her ground game looked sharp as well.
After a dismal start to the season, Samsonova has once again come alive in Abu Dhabi. She had crashed out in the first round of all three tournaments she competed in before this. But she has now made it to the semifinals here for the second straight year.
Samsonova is yet to drop a set in Abu Dhabi. She cruised through her first couple of matches but encountered some resistance against Krejcikova in the quarterfinals. She stumbled while trying to close out both the sets, but didn't let the situation go out of hand.
Samsonova has turned out to be Rybakina's kryptonite. The Russian can match the Kazakh shot for shot in terms of power and depth, while being excellent on serve too.
Samsonova does have an off day when she commits error after error, but that has yet to happen against Rybakina. The former Wimbledon champion will need to put her best foot forward, or else the Russian is likely to maintain her perfect record in this rivalry.
Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win in three sets.
