In a stunning turnaround at the Guadalajara Open, Liudmila Samsonova took down the second seed, Aryna Sabalenka, with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 on Wednesday. This win at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis pushes Samsonova into the round of 16 and brings her total to 20 wins in her last 22 matches—her third time beating a top-10 player. After a hard-fought match lasting 2 hours and 14 minutes, the Russian triumphed by landing 70% of her first serves, breaking Sabalenka four times and striking 21 winners. This result keeps the 23-year-old, currently ranked 22nd, in contention for the WTA Finals. Her next opponent will be Marie Bouzkova from the Czech Republic.
Russian Liudmila Samsonova stunned the Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to reach the round of the last 16 of the Guadalajara Open at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis on Wednesday. Samsonova registered her 20th victory in her last 22 matches and the third top-10 victory of her career. Samsonova, who battled for two hours and 14-minute, produced 21 winners, broke the powerful Belarussian four times, and landed 70 percent of her first serves in victory. With this win, the 23-year-old Russian has kept her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals alive. Samsonova, ranked no.22, will be up against Marie Bouzkova of Czech in the next round.
Thanks to Samsonova's victory, Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia have officially punched their tickets to the WTA Finals, where the top eight players in the world will compete in Fort Worth starting October 31. Sabalenka remains in the race and still holds a qualifying position, but as the world number 4, she now has to wait and see if her current ranking holds up against those trailing her.
Prior to the Guadalajara Open, Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Jessica Pegula had already locked in their spots. Now that the American Gauff and the Frenchwoman Garcia have joined them, only three places remain available for the Finals.
Although the fifth seed, Coco Gauff, didn't play her most polished match, she did enough to defeat Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets (7-6(1), 6-3). Despite struggling with five double faults and converting only four of her 13 break chances, the American teen remained composed during the critical moments, winning the first-set tiebreak and using that momentum to seal the match in the second.
At just 18 years old, Gauff is set to be the youngest participant at the WTA Finals since 2005. She expressed immense excitement about the achievement and mentioned she is particularly happy to be joining Jessica Pegula, as the two have also qualified together for the doubles competition.
The dream of reaching the WTA Finals ended for Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after a dramatic loss to Jessica Pegula. Despite firing 14 aces, the Kazakhstani fell 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) after Pegula managed to save three match points. Rybakina's situation was complicated by the fact that the WTA did not award ranking points for this year's grass-court major, which likely cost her a qualifying spot.
Danielle Collins and Jelena Ostapenko, both of whom still have a mathematical chance to qualify for the Finals, secured their second-round wins on Wednesday. Other players still fighting for a spot include Madison Keys, Belinda Bencic, and the top-seeded Paula Badosa.