Samsonova to face Swiatek in China Open final
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E-mail Xinhua, October 8, 2023
Unseeded Liudmila Samsonova will take on world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women's final of the China Open after she beat Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Saturday.
Iga Swiatek hits a return during the women's singles semifinal between Iga Swiatek of Poland and Coco Gauff of the United States at China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Luo Yuan)
The Russian, ranked 22nd in the WTA tour, held her nerve after a hard-won first set and broke Rybakina twice in the second set to seal the match, representing her fourth straight win over the world No. 5.
In Sunday's final, Samsonova promised to play aggressively against Poland's Swiatek, who beat world No. 3 Coco Gauff of the United States 6-2, 6-3 in the other semifinal.
"I think my serve and return will be the key tomorrow because she plays very aggressive on the first shot," Samsonova said.
"I will try to push hard as I did all these matches here, to be really, really aggressive," she added.
