_01.jpg) Samsonova at the2023 DC Open | |
| Full name | Liudmila Dmitrievna Samsonova |
|---|---|
| Native name | Людмила Дмитриевна Самсонова |
| Country (sports) |  Russia(2013, 2018[1] –present)  Italy(2014–2018) |
| Born | (1998-11-11)11 November 1998 (age 27) Olenegorsk, Russia |
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 2013 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Danilo Pizzorno Alessandro Dumitrache[2] |
| Prize money | US$ 7,949,984 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 331–214 |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Highest ranking | No. 12 (27 February 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 18 (20 October 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2021,2022,2023,2025) |
| French Open | 4R (2025) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2025) |
| US Open | 4R (2022,2024) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 73–71 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 36 (8 September 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 44 (20 October 2025) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2025) |
| French Open | QF (2023) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2025) |
| US Open | 2R (2023) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2024) |
| French Open | 2R (2024) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2023) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | W (2020–21), record 5–0 |
| Last updated on: 24 October 2025. | |
Liudmila Dmitrievna Samsonova (Russian:Людмила Дмитриевна Самсонова,IPA:[lʲʊdˈmʲiɫəsɐmˈsonəvə]; born 11 November 1998) is a Russian professionaltennis player. She has career-highWTA rankings of No. 12 in singles and No. 36 in doubles.[3]
She has won five singles and two doubles titles on theWTA Tour, her first title being aWTA 500 title at the2021 German Open. She has also won a total of eight singles[4] and three doubles[5] titles on theITF Circuit. During the2020–21 Billie Jean King Cup, Samsonova led theRussian team to their first triumph since 2008, winning all five of her matches in both singles and doubles.
Samsonova also competed for Italy from 2014 to 2018.
Samsonova was born in the industrial city ofOlenegorsk, Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Her family moved with the then-one-year-old Liudmila to Italy. Her father Dmitry, atable tennis player, was invited to play for the club Ferentino based inTurin. Her father urged her to start playing either table tennis orlawn tennis, choosing the latter. She started playing at the age of six, joining thePiatti Tennis Center inBordighera after the local tennis association helped her financially. Between 2014 and 2018, Liudmila represented Italy in professional tennis, before switching to the Russian flag.[6]
In July 2021, she explained the reason behind her decision was the extra pressure of competing for the Italian national team, a country where tennis is more closely followed than in Russia where it feels to her as though she competes only for herself, especially considering her "boom boom" hard-hitting game style.[7] Russian sources were more specific about the reasons behind the unusual switch after turning 18 in the light of significant numbers of local players switching from the Russian flag.[8] According to theTennis Weekend, Samsonova faced problems whilst trying to obtain an Italian passport and there was a relatively low level of support for her as an outsider from theItalian Tennis Federation.[9] She keeps practising outside of Russia, as she is unsatisfied with the condition for professional tennis provided by theRussian Tennis Federation domestically.[10][11] In October 2021, Samsonova said that she didn't have an Italian passport and thus never faced the option of choosing between the two flags.[12]
Liudmila admitted that if her parents had stayed in Russia she would have chosenfigure skating.[6] She speaks fluent Italian, Russian, and English.[6][9][13]
Samsonova reached her highest ITF junior ranking on 18 July 2016, peaking at the 65th spot on the rankings.[14] Her biggest achievements were winning consecutiveITF Junior Circuit Grade-2 tournaments in 2016, defeating notable players such asKaja Juvan andMarta Kostyuk.[15]
In 2013, Samsonova made her professional debut at consecutiveITF Circuit tournaments inUmag, but lost her both singles qualifying matches.[16][note 1]
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. The win allowed her debuting on theWTA rankings, at the 960th spot and finished the year in 840th.[17]
The upcoming two years saw her struggle on the ITF Circuit, amassing an 11–12 win–loss record which caused her ranking to stagnate. Nonetheless, she managed to return to the top 1000 towards the end of 2016, after reaching the final of an $10k event in Solarino.[16][note 1][18]
Samsonova's first real breakthrough came when she was leaving her teenage years. Reaching three $15k finals in Hammamet, Pula and Mâcon in 2017,[16][note 1] respectively, the Russian almost halved her ranking and ended the year ranked 552nd.[17]
2018 was another decent year for her, having reached a total of four finals. Overriding her personal best results, the Russian won her first $25k title at theOpen Castilla y León, stunning third seedBaşak Eraydın in the final with the loss of just two games.[19]
Samsonova caused a huge shock at theOpen de Saint-Malo, a $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.[20][21] Her 40–21 win–loss record helped Samsonova end the year inside the top 200 for the first time.[17]
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Samsonova started the year with hermajor debut at theAustralian Open but was defeated in the second qualifying round byKarolína Muchová. Choosing to compete in higher-level WTA tournaments with her ranking, the Russian fell in the qualifying rounds of Premier tournaments inSt. Petersburg,Doha[22] andDubai.
After a five-match losing streak to start the clay-court season, Samsonova stunned several higher-ranked players, including tenth seedMarie Bouzková, to qualify for the main draw at theFrench Open on her first attempt.[23] Despite losing in the first round to 23rd seedDonna Vekić, she reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 153, on 10 June 2019 after the tournament.[24][25]
Reaching her secondWTA Tour main draw at the rain-plaguedNottingham Open, Samsonova continued her good run of form before falling to former top-15 playerYanina Wickmayer in the final round of qualifying at theWimbledon Championships, on her debut.
Samsonova received her first direct entry into a WTA Tour main draw at theLadies Open Lausanne, but lost to lucky loserHan Xinyun in the second round. In the following week, despite losing toAmandine Hesse in the final qualifying round of thePalermo Ladies Open, she received an entry into the main draw by virtue of an emptied lucky-loser spot. There, she stunned fourth seed and 56th-rankedTamara Zidanšek, in straight sets,[26] before hitting 41 winners to beat Lausanne championFiona Ferro in the quarterfinals to make her first tour semifinal. However, she ran out of steam as she was defeated by eventual championJil Teichmann, in straight sets.[27]
Choosing not to defend her title in Saint-Malo, her ranking dipped from 131 to 163 in September, but qualifying for the main draw at theTashkent Open allowed her to improve her ranking. Going into theInternationaux de Poitiers, an $80k event, unseeded and looming, Samsonova strolled into the final without losing a set but lost to rising starNina Stojanović, in straight sets.[28] Her good run continued at the WTA 125Open de Limoges, where she reached the quarterfinals by beating top-100 playersCamila Giorgi andAlizé Cornet.[29][30]
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 Tour events and facing tougher draws in the process.
Starting the year at the Premier-levelBrisbane International, Samsonova survived the qualifying rounds which included a straight-sets win overKristina Mladenovic.[31] Drawing former US Open championSloane Stephens in the first round of the main draw, she clinched the best win of her career by beating the American in three sets, serving ten aces in the process and blasting countless winners with her "fearless aggression".[32] Although she was defeated by world No. 7,Petra Kvitová, in the second round, Samsonova headed to theAustralian Open with a new career-high ranking of No. 118.[33]
BeatingWang Xiyu in the final qualifying round, Samsonova qualified for the main draw in Melbourne for the first time in her career.[34] Drawing former French Open champion,Jeļena Ostapenko, in the first round, she was outpowered and committed 24 unforced errors en route a straight-sets defeat.[35] In the match, Samsonova also set the record of hitting the fastest serve on the women's side throughout the entire tournament in 2020.[36]
Heading back to Russia for theSt. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, she qualified for the main draw but fell to fellow RussianAnastasia Potapova in the first round.[37] Similar to 2019, Samsonova failed to qualify for the main draw at theQatar Ladies Open and theDubai Tennis Championships before theCOVID-19 pandemic forced the tour to go on a hiatus for a couple of months.
With the tour resuming at thePalermo Ladies Open, she took part in the qualifying rounds and defeatedMarta Kostyuk for the second time this year en route qualifying for the main draw. DefeatingKirsten Flipkens in the first round,[38] and exacting revenge for her two losses to the Belgian in 2019, Samsonova set up an interesting clash with top seedPetra Martić. Despite leading by a set, Samsonova was unable to beat the Croatian, who ultimately reached semifinals.[39]
Samsonova lost in the first round of both of theUS Open andFrench Open to the resurgentTsvetana Pironkova and eventual finalistSofia Kenin, respectively. The Russian led Kenin by a break in the final set in her first career match against a top 10 opposition.[40] She ended her year with a runner-up finish at the 25k event in Reims, falling toOcéane Dodin, in straight sets.[41]
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Samsonova began the year at the Australian Openqualifying, which was held in Dubai due to pandemic-related reasons.[42] She beat the 30th seed, former top-30 playerLesia Tsurenko, in straight sets, to book her ticket to Melbourne for a second successive year.[43] She lost in the opening round of theYarra Valley Classic, a tune-up event to the Australian Open toTsvetana Pironkova, but rebounded to earn her first Grand Slam main-draw victory overPaula Badosa, recovering from 3–5 down in the final set to triumph.[44] Her run ended in the second round, in the hands of world No. 14,Garbiñe Muguruza, in straight sets.[45] She ended her trip in Australia with another successful qualifying campaign at theAdelaide International, reaching the main draw and challenging sixth seed Martić to three sets.[46]
Samsonova returned to the tour at theMiami Open, where she qualified for the main draw with consecutive wins. In the first round, she then beat fellow hard-hittingCamila Giorgi, in straight sets.[citation needed] She earned the biggest win of her career over world No. 11,Kiki Bertens, after losing just three games, reaching the third round of aWTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.[47] Samsonova lost toMaria Sakkari eventually.[48]
She then began her clay-court campaign at theCharleston Open andMUSC Health Women's Open, held at the same venue in consecutive weeks, and suffered early losses toCoco Gauff[49] andClara Tauson[50] in both tournaments, respectively. As a lucky loser, Samsonova reached the second round of theEmilia-Romagna Open, before being defeated by Martić once again. She then suffered a shock loss in the first round of qualifying at theFrench Open, losing toAleksandra Krunić in three sets.[51]
Beginning her first career grass-court season at theGerman Open in Berlin, starting as a qualifier, she reached her first Tour final. Her campaign began with a tight win overAna Konjuh in a final-set tiebreak to qualify for the main draw, before stunningMarkéta Vondroušová in the first round. Samsonova then reached her firstWTA 500 quarterfinal with a straight-sets defeat of compatriotVeronika Kudermetova, not facing a break point throughout the encounter.[52] Samsonova prevailed 7–6, 2–6, 7–6 over former top-10 playerMadison Keys, saving 8/11 break points in the match,[53] and followed it up with a bigger upset over two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka in the semifinal.[54] In the final, she upset world No. 12,Belinda Bencic, from a set down to win her maiden WTA Tour title.[55] With this run she climbed 43 spots to reach a career-high ranking of world No. 63, on 21 June 2021.[56][57]
By virtue of her Berlin run, she also received a wildcard into the main draw ofWimbledon, making her debut in the main draw.[58] There, she rode on her momentum and reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in her career, after defeating the giant-killingKaia Kanepi,[59] 22nd seedJessica Pegula and former Grand Slam champion,Sloane Stephens, in three sets.[60] In her first appearance in the second week of a major, she lost to eventual finalistKarolína Plíšková, in straight sets. Following this best run in her career, she made her top 60 debut.[61]
Contesting the main draws of theCanadian Open and theWestern & Southern Open for the first time in her career, Samsonova recorded a good win over top-20 playerElena Rybakina but lost toSara Sorribes Tormo[62] and Victoria Azarenka,[63] respectively. Samsonova won her first main-draw match at theUS Open overKatie Boulter.[64]
Seeded seventh at theLuxembourg Open, she defeatedMisaki Doi and Océane Dodin to reach her first quarterfinal since Berlin. There, she stunned the top seed Bencic once again, prevailing in straight sets.[65] Samsonova lost to Jeļena Ostapenko in the semifinals, but reached another new career-high ranking after the tournament.[66] She made her main-draw debut at theIndian Wells Open, triumphing overKateryna Kozlova in the first round,[67] but fell to compatriot Kudermetova in the second round.[68]
Samsonova lost toAjla Tomljanović in the first round of theKremlin Cup,[69] then reached the semifinals of theCourmayeur Ladies Open but lost to Tauson once again, this time after having five match points.[70] Nonetheless, she managed to make her top 40 debut after the tournament. She ended season at theBJK Cup Finals, making her debut in the tournament but played a pivotal role in clinching the title for Russia as she went unbeaten throughout the week.[71] She clinched singles wins over Sloane Stephens[72] and Belinda Bencic[73] and extended her head-to-head record against both players to 3–0. She also partnered Veronika Kudermetova and won all six sets they contested, defeating Canada,[74] France[75] and the United States.[72]
Samsonova began at theMelbourne Summer Set 1 and suffered a first-round loss to former top-10 playerAndrea Petkovic.[76] She reached her first quarterfinal of the season at theAdelaide International 2 but lost to Madison Keys.[77] At theAustralian Open, she beat qualifierEmina Bektas in the first round, reaching the second for the second consecutive year.[78]
She lost in the qualifying rounds of theDubai Championships,[79] before falling to Alizé Cornet in the first round of theQatar Ladies Open, in a three-set match.[80]
Nonetheless, she found form inIndian Wells where she made the fourth round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.[81] However, she lost to Petra Martić in the fourth round in their fourth consecutive meeting.[82]
She reached the top 25 on 9 May 2022 after a semifinal showing at theStuttgart Grand Prix[17] which she lost to top seedIga Świątek.[16][note 1] She lost in the first round at both WTA 1000 tournaments: theMadrid Open and theItalian Open.[16][note 1] At theFrench Open, she lost also in the first round, toDanka Kovinić.[16][note 1]
During the summer hardcourt tour, Samsonova collected two back-to-back titles. First, she played at theWashington Open, and won five matches including a second-round win over top-10 playerEmma Raducanu.[83] In the final, she defeated Kaia Kanepi, after losing the first set.[84] Her next stop was supposed to be Canadian Open qualifying but she was forced to withdraw due to still playing at Washington D.C. She then played at theTennis in the Land event in Cleveland. BeatingAliaksandra Sasnovich in the final, she won her second title of the year and recorded her tenth consecutive win.[85]
At theUS Open, she reached the fourth round for the first time at this major defeating qualifierSara Bejlek, 14th seedLeylah Fernandez, and Aleksandra Krunić.[86] In the fourth round, she lost to Ajla Tomljanović after an intense one hour first-set battle, losing eight set points and a 20 minute game.[87]
InTokyo, she defeated Elena Rybakina,Wang Xinyu,[88] third seed Garbiñe Muguruza,[89] and Zhang Shuai to reached her third final of the season.[90] In the final, she beat first-time finalistZheng Qinwen to win her fourth career title.[91] However, she lost in the first round of theSan Diego Open toBianca Andreescu, in three sets. InGuadalajara, she defeatedAryna Sabalenka in the second round for her first top-5 win, before losing to Marie Bouzková in three sets.[92] With this result, she made her top 20 debut in theWTA rankings on 24 October.[17]
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Samsonova began her season at theAdelaide International 1 as she sweeped pastZhang Shuai for her first win of the year. She lost in the second round to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in two tiebreaks despite being up 5–1 in the first set.[93] This was followed by a straight-sets loss toAmanda Anisimova inAdelaide 2 in round one. Seeded 18th at theAustralian Open, she defeatedJasmine Paolini in straight sets, before losing to Donna Vekić in the second, winning only three games.[16][note 1]
AtDubai, she also won in the first round, against Paula Badosa, in the third longest match of the year lasting three hours and 22 minutes.[94] She reached the third round by a walkover from Zheng Qinwen but lost to top seed and world No. 1, Iga Świątek. At the same tournament, with Veronika Kudermetova, she won the doubles title.[95][96] As a result, she reached new career-high rankings of world No. 12 in singles and No. 59 in doubles on 27 February 2023.[17]
She reached the top 40 in doubles on 12 June 2023,[17] following theFrench Open where she reached the quarterfinals with Kudermetova.[16][note 1]
Samsonova reached the final of the WTA 1000Canadian Open where she lost to Jessica Pegula.[16][note 1] She also reached the final at the WTA 1000China Open in which she lost to Iga Świątek.[16][note 1]
Samsonova had a low-key start to the season. She participated in theBrisbane International as the fourth seed and lost in her debut in the second round toMirra Andreeva, in straight sets.[16][note 1] Soon after, she participated in theAdelaide International as the seventh seed, being defeated in the first round byLaura Siegemund, in three sets.[16][note 1] At theAustralian Open, as the 13th seed, she also lost in the first round to Amanda Anisimova, in straight sets.[97]
Continuing her hardcourt campaign in theMiddle East at theAbu Dhabi Open as the eight seed, Samsonova defeatedLesia Tsurenko,Anhelina Kalinina, and Barbora Krejčíková in straight sets on the way to the semifinals, before losing to Elena Rybakina in three sets.[98]
She won her fifth career title at theRosmalen Open defeating Bianca Andreescu in the final.[99][100][101]
In August, Samsonova reached back to back quarterfinals at theCanadian Open and theCincinnati Open, losing toDiana Shnaider[102] and Aryna Sabalenka,[103] respectively.
Samsonova reached the semifinals at theAdelaide International, defeating qualifiersMarie Bouzková[104] and Belinda Bencic,[105] then second seedEmma Navarro,[106] before losing to eventual champion Madison Keys.[107] Seeded 25th at theAustralian Open, she overcameKamilla Rakhimova,[108] before losing in the second round toOlga Danilović.[109]
In May, Samsonova was the runner-up at theStrasbourg Open, recording wins overLinda Nosková,[110] wildcard entrantDiane Parry,[111] third seed Paula Badosa[112] andDanielle Collins,[113] before losing in the final to fourth seed Elena Rybakina in three sets.[114]
Seeded 19th at theFrench Open, Samsonova defeatedMayar Sherif,[115] qualifierLeyre Romero Gormaz[116] andDayana Yastremska[117] to make it through to the fourth round, where she lost to eighth seed Zheng Qinwen.[118]
Moving onto the grass-court season, she partneredNicole Melichar-Martinez to reach the doubles final at theRosmalen Open, losing to second seedsIrina Khromacheva andFanny Stollár in straight sets.[119] The following week at theBerlin Open, Samsonova defeatedNaomi Osaka,[120] defending champion Jessica Pegula[121] and Amanda Anisimova to make the semifinals,[122] where she lost to qualifier Wang Xinyu.[123] Seeded 19th atWimbledon, she recorded straight set wins overMaya Joint,[124]Yuliia Starodubtseva,[125] 16th seed Daria Kasatkina[126] andJéssica Bouzas Maneiro to reach the quarterfinals,[127] where she lost to eighth seed Iga Świątek.[128]
Samsonova has competed for theRussian team since 2021, securing her first nomination at the2020–21 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where she was the fifth-ranked singles player for Russia.[129] She made her debut in doubles alongside Kudermetova, defeating the world No. 5 pairGabriela Dabrowski andRebecca Marino 6–3 and 6–1.[74] Continuing her partnership with Kudermetova, they defeatedClara Burel andAlizé Cornet in 47 minutes to seal a 2–1 win over France, booking their spot in the semifinals.[75] Samsonova was pivotal in Russia's win over the United States as she made her singles debut againstSloane Stephens, coming from a set and multiple break points down to win the first rubber. She then came back alongside Kudermetova to beatShelby Rogers andCoCo Vandeweghe and seal a spot in the final.[72] In the final, Samsonova continued her unbeaten run, coming in as a late replacement for an injured Pavlyuchenkova to stunBelinda Bencic, once again from a set down, to clinch the title for Russia.[73]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournaments | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 6 | 4–6 | 40% |
| French Open | 1R | 1R | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 0 / 6 | 6–6 | 50% |
| Wimbledon | Q3 | NH | 4R | A[a] | 1R | 3R | QF | 0 / 4 | 9–4 | 69% |
| US Open | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 0 / 6 | 10–6 | 63% |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–3 | 5–3 | 4–3 | 4–4 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 0 / 22 | 29–22 | 57% |
| Tournaments | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% |
| French Open | A | 1R | QF | 0 / 2 | 3–2 | 60% |
| Wimbledon | A | A[a] | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–3 | 4–3 | 0 / 7 | 4–7 | 36% |
For example, there aren't enough courts. There is a total of 7.2 thousand of them in Russia, including 2.6 thousand indoors. And in Moscow it is, respectively, 783 and 261.
Since I was 10 years old, I was raised by Riccardo Piatti. I stayed with him for about 7 years and then moved to Rome. But I learned to play tennis only in Italy
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Women's Tennis Association:  Top Russian female singles tennis players | |
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as of 27 October 2025 | |
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Women's Tennis Association: Top Russian female doubles tennis players | |
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