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Liudmila Samsonova received a bit too much love from the crowd at the Zhengzhou Open after her first-round match at the tournament.
Liudmila Samsonova came to Zhengzhou after playing her second WTA 1000 final of the year at the China Open in Beijing. The Russian defeated the likes of Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Elena Rybakina before losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.
In Zhengzhou, Samsonova was seeded No. 11 at the WTA 500 event and began her campaign against Tatjana Maria of Germany on October 10. The match was another display of power and groundstroke prowess from Samsonova as she ousted the German No. 1 in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
However, after the match, the customary interaction between fans and players took an unexpected turn. Before Samsonova could go near the stands to interact, fans got a bit too eager and threw balls, rackets, towels, and other memorabilia toward Samsonova, who was still near her chair.
The 24-year-old Russian was understandably stunned by the sudden bombardment and turned to the chair umpire to ask what was happening. The video of the incident can be seen below (h/t @TheTennisLetter on X):
Liudmila Samsonova's singles campaign at the tournament ended in the second round as she lost to Laura Siegemund of Germany in a three-set affair. The World No. 16 initially took the lead by winning the first set, but Siegemund railroaded her in the next two sets to book her place in the quarterfinal, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Liudmila Samsonova enters doubles semifinal at Zhengzhou with Veronika Kudermetova
Liudmila Samsonova is also playing doubles at the Zhengzhou Open alongside her close friend Veronika Kudermetova. The unseeded Russian duo had a tough matchup in the first round against No. 2 seed Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs, who have already qualified for the WTA Finals in Cancun.
However, Samsonova-Kudermetova made light work of dispatching their high-ranked opponents, knocking them out of the competition 6-1, 6-2 on October 12. The Russian pair met former doubles Grand Slam champion Timea Babos and Lyudmila Kichenok in the quarterfinal on October 13.
They came from behind to beat the Hungarian-Ukrainian duo 6-7(5), 6-3, 9-11. The Russians will next face Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan in the semifinal on October 14.
This is Samsonova and Kudermetova's 11th tournament on the 2023 WTA Tour. Their best performances so far include the title at the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships and the quarterfinal at the French Open. They are currently ranked No. 17 on the race WTA Finals later this month.
