Liudmila Samsonova

Samsonova reached her highest ITF Junior Ranking on 18 July 2016, peaking at the 65th spot on the rankings.[2] Her biggest achievements were winning consecutive ITF Junior Circuit Grade 2 tournaments in 2016, defeating notable players such as Kaja Juvan and Marta Kostyuk.[3]

In 2013, Samsonova made her professional debut at consecutive ITF Circuit $10k tournaments in Umag, but lost both her singles matches.

2014 saw Samsonova winning her first ITF title at a $10k event in Rome, beating three seeded players to clinch the victory despite being unranked. Her triumph allowed her debut on the WTA rankings at the 960th spot.

The upcoming two years saw the Russian struggle on the ITF Circuit, amassing a 11-12 win-loss record which caused her ranking to stagnate outside the top 1000. Nonetheless, she managed to return to the Top 1000 towards the end of 2016 after reaching the final of an $10k event in Solarino.

Samsonova's first real breakthrough came when she was leaving her teenage years. Reaching three $15k finals in Hammamet, Pula and Mâcon in 2017 respectively, the Russian almost halved her ranking and ended the year ranked 552nd.[4]

2018 was another decent year for Samsonova, having reached a total of four finals. Overriding her personal best results, the Russian won her first $25k title at the Open Castilla y León, stunning third seed Başak Eraydın in the final with the loss of just two games.[5]

Samsonova caused a huge shock at the L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo, an $60k event, coming through three rounds of qualifying to lift the biggest title of her career and breaking the top 200 for the first time in her career.[6][7] A 40-21 win-loss record helped Samsonova end the year inside the top 200 for the first time in her career.

Samsonova started the year with her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, but was defeated in the second qualifying round by Karolína Muchová. Choosing to compete in higher-level WTA tournaments with her ranking, the Russian fell in the qualifying rounds of Premier tournaments in St. Petersburg, Doha[8] and Dubai.

After a five-match losing streak to start the clay-court season, Samsonova stunned several higher-ranked players, including tenth seed Marie Bouzková, to qualify for the main draw at the French Open on her first attempt.[9] Despite losing in the first round to 23rd seed Donna Vekić, Samsonova reached a new career high ranking after the tournament.[10][11]

Reaching her second WTA Tour main draw at the rain-plagued Nottingham Open, Samsonova continued her good run of form before falling to former top-15 player Yanina Wickmayer in the final round of qualifying at the Wimbledon Championships on her debut.

Samsonova received her first direct entry into a WTA Tour main draw at the Ladies Open Lausanne, but lost to lucky loser Han Xinyun in the second round. In the following week, despite losing to Amandine Hesse in the final qualifying round of the Internazionali di Palermo, she received an entry into the main draw by virtue of an emptied lucky-loser spot. There, she stunned fourth seed and 56th-ranked Tamara Zidanšek in straight sets,[12] before hitting 41 winners to beat Lausanne champion Fiona Ferro in the quarterfinals to make her first WTA semifinal. However, she ran out of steam as she was defeated by eventual champion Jil Teichmann in straight sets.[13]

Choosing not to defend her title in Saint-Malo, Samsonova's ranking dipped from 131 to 163 in September but qualifying for the main draw at the Tashkent Open allowed her to improve her ranking. Going into the Internationaux de la Vienne, an $80k event, unseeded and looming, Samsonova strolled into the final without losing a set but lost to rising star Nina Stojanović in straight sets.[14] Her good run continued at the WTA 125k event, Open de Limoges, and reached the quarterfinals by beating top-100 players Camila Giorgi and Alizé Cornet.[15][16]

She ended the year with a 32–27 win-loss record with an impressive nine top-100 wins, partly due to competing in more WTA tournaments and facing tougher draws in the process.

Starting her year at the Premier-level Brisbane International, Samsonova survived the qualifying rounds which included a straight-sets win over Kristina Mladenovic.[17] Drawing former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round of the main draw, Samsonova clinched the best win of her career by beating the American in three sets, serving 10 aces in the process and blasting countless winners with her "fearless aggression".[18] Although she was defeated by world No. 7, Petra Kvitová, in the second round, Samsonova headed to the Australian Open with a new career-high ranking.[19]

Beating Chinese rising star Wang Xiyu in the final qualifying round, Samsonova qualified for the main draw in Melbourne for the first time in her career.[20] Drawing former French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko in the first round, Samsonova was outpowered and committed 24 unforced errors en route a straight-sets defeat.[21] In the match, Samsonova also set the record of hitting the fastest serve on the women's side throughout the entire tournament in 2020.[22]

Heading back to Russia for the St. Petersburg Trophy, the Russian qualified for the main draw but fell to compatriot Anastasia Potapova in the first round.[23] Similar to 2019, Samsonova failed to qualify for the main draw at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Championships before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the tour to go on a hiatus for a couple of months.

With the tour resuming at the Internazionali di Palermo, Samsonova took part in the qualifying rounds and defeated Marta Kostyuk for the second time this year en-route qualifying for the main draw. Defeating Kirsten Flipkens in the first round,[24] and exacting revenge for her two losses to the Belgian in 2019, Samsonova set up an interesting clash with top seed Petra Martic. Despite leading by a set, Samsonova was unable to beat the Croatian, who ultimately reached the semifinals.[25]

Current after the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic.