WTA · World No. 20

Liudmila Samsonova

🏳️World · Age 18 · Born 10 March 2008

About

Liudmila Samsonova was born on November 11, 1998, in Olenegorsk, Russia, and turned professional in 2013 after moving to Italy as a child. Her breakthrough came in 2021 with her first WTA title at the Berlin WTA 500 and a Wimbledon fourth round. She reached career-high No. 12 ranking in 2023 after two WTA 1000 finals. In 2025, she made her first Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon and won a doubles title. As of April 2026, she is ranked No. 20 with 5-10 singles record YTD, recent quarterfinals in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi, and a doubles title in Stuttgart.

Profile updated 29 Apr 2026

Right now

WTA rank

1,895

Ranking points

2-1

7-day record

66.7%

7-day win rate

Career titles

Career-high rank

Recent form

WWL

In the news

“"At her best, Samsonova's serve and forehand are both Top 5 on tour in the firepower department."”
— Tennis.com

24 Apr 2026Samsonova defeats Tjen 6-2 6-1 to reach Madrid QF
16 Apr 2026Gauff rallies past Samsonova 7-5 6-1 in Stuttgart R16
9 Apr 2026Tagger upsets Samsonova in Linz Open round of 16
1 Apr 2026Samsonova/Melichar-Martinez win Stuttgart doubles title
1 Feb 2026Samsonova reaches Abu Dhabi QF, falls to Baptiste

News last refreshed 29 Apr 2026

How they play

Playing style

Samsonova is an aggressive baseline power player with top-tier serve and forehand firepower capable of producing winners from anywhere. Her flat, penetrating groundstrokes and ability to dictate rallies with pace make her dangerous against any opponent, though consistency in long matches remains key to sustaining dominance.

Serve

Samsonova possesses one of the tour's most powerful serves, frequently hitting aces with high speed and precise placement to win free points. Her first serve is a major weapon, backed by a solid second serve that holds up under pressure.

Groundstrokes

Her forehand is a top-5 power weapon with heavy pace, while her two-handed backhand is powerful and versatile for down-the-line strikes. Both generate flat, deep shots that dictate from the baseline.

Movement

Improved movement allows good court coverage, but as a taller player, lateral quickness in corners and transitions can lag. Performs best on faster surfaces where power trumps defense.

Weakness

Opponents exploit occasional lapses in consistency and movement, forcing errors when stretching her wide or disrupting rhythm. Struggles to reset when Plan A falters in extended rallies.

Surface splits

Career surface splits.

Hard

60.9% 134–86

Clay

58.7% 115–81

Grass

56.0% 51–40

Serve & return fingerprint

3 matches of statistics in the last 7 days. Aces/match: 0.7 · DFs/match: 1.3

1st serve in: 52.7%
1st-serve points won: 86.3%
2nd-serve points won: 45.7%
Return on 1st: 40.3%
Return on 2nd: 49.3%

Big-match temperament

0–1

Tiebreaks (this week)

1–0

Deciders (this week)

Comeback wins

1/0

Bagels given/taken

0/1

Breadsticks given/taken

Notable rivalries

Jessica Pegula

Pegula leads head-to-head 3-1, including 2023 Montreal final win and 2026 Brisbane QF. Tight matches highlight contrasting baseline styles.

Elena Rybakina

Samsonova leads 4-2 after multiple clashes, including 2023 Montreal SF win; Rybakina's power vs Samsonova's aggression creates thrillers.

Iga Swiatek

Swiatek dominates 3-0, including 2023 Beijing final and 2025 Wimbledon QF; Samsonova pushes early but fades in long exchanges.

Coco Gauff

Even 2-2 head-to-head; Gauff won 2026 Stuttgart R16 7-5 6-1 after comeback from 0-3 down.

Rivalry network

Most-played opponents inside our 7-day rolling window.

A. Bondar0–1Xin. Wang1–0T. Maria1–0

Career

Career snapshot

Career titles

Career high

First season

Season	Year-end rank	W–L	Titles
2016	773	2–2	0
2017	623	0–1	0
2018	181	8–3	1
2019	129	29–24	0
2020	127	20–12	0
2021	38	39–22	1
2022	20	30–17	3
2023	—	9–5	0
2024	327	38–14	3
2025	203	37–17	3

Team and equipment

Head coach: Danilo Pizzorno
Fitness: Lorenzo Petrucci

Height: 184 cm
Plays: Right-handed
Backhand: Two-handed
Racquet: Yonex EZONE
Apparel: Nike

Career highlights

WTA 500 Berlin title 2021
Washington DC title 2022
Cleveland title 2022
Tokyo title 2022
's-Hertogenbosch title 2024
WTA 1000 Montreal finalist 2023
WTA 1000 Beijing finalist 2023
Wimbledon QF 2025

Watch & follow

Where to follow

Live scores when Samsonova is on court appear on our tennis today and live streaming pages. The full WTA top-100 sits at our live WTA rankings. Compare Samsonova on the player statistical deep dive.

Head-to-head vs Aryna Sabalenka →

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