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Match Details
Fixture: Hailey Baptiste (Q) vs (19) Liudmila Samsonova
Date: May 8, 2025
Tournament: Italian Open 2025
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Clay
Category: WTA 1000
Prize Money: €6,009,593
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Hailey Baptiste vs Liudmila Samsonova preview
Qualifier Hailey Baptiste will lock horns with nineteenth-seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round of the 2025 Italian Open on Thursday, May 8. The winner will take on Elina Svitolina or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the next round.
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Baptiste's 2025 clay swing commenced at the Charleston Open. She defeated Olivia Gadecki in the opener before losing to fourth-seed Emma Navarro in the second round. She suffered yet another second-round exit in Madrid, this time falling to Donna Vekic.
At the Italian Open, Baptiste entered the main draw courtesy of straight-set wins over Storm Hunter and Jil Teichmann. She then put on a strong display to overcome Anna Blinkova, 7-6(7), 6-4, in the first round.
Meanwhile, Samsonova had a decent outing on hard courts this season, reaching the Adelaide International semifinals and BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals. However, she has yet to find her rhythm on clay.
Samsonova made her first appearance on clay this year at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she suffered a first-round defeat against Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Russian earned her only clay-court win this season in Madrid, against Caroline Dolehide in the second round. She then lost to Yuliia Starodubtseva in the following round.
Hailey Baptiste vs Liudmila Samsonova head-to-head
This will be their second meeting on the tour. Samsonova won their only previous encounter at the 2020 Australian Open, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Hailey Baptiste vs Liudmila Samsonova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM.)
Hailey Baptiste vs Liudmila Samsonova prediction
Baptiste's preferred surface is clay. She has been promising in recent matches and has yet to drop a set in Rome, including the qualifiers. The American also has the advantage as she is familiar with the court conditions, unlike her opponent.
Samsonova is clearly the more skilled of the two and has the better overall gameplay. However, she is not at her best on clay. Her recent form on the tour has also been concerning.
Baptiste might well pull off a surprise win if she deals with the pressure well. Samsonova can prove deadly with her powerful groundstrokes. However, given the current form and court conditions, Baptiste is expected to reach the next round.
Pick: Baptiste to win in three sets.
