Samsonova completes remarkable week by winning German Open

Liudmila Samsonova rallied after losing the opening set and hit 14 aces on her way to her first WTA Tour title at the 2021 Wimbledon's warm-up tournament.

Published : Jun 20, 2021 22:27 IST

Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova (L) defeated Swiss star Belinda Bencic 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the 2021 German Open.

Qualifier Liudmila Samsonova completed a remarkable week by beating Belinda Bencic 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 to win the 2021 German Open on Sunday.

Samsonova rallied after losing the opening set and hit 14 aces on her way to the first WTA Tour title of her career at the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up tournament.

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The 106th-ranked Russian came through two rounds of qualifying and pulled off major upsets on her way as she ousted two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka in the semifinal after eliminating two former Grand Slam finalists -- Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova -- in earlier rounds.

Samsonova saved five of the seven break points she faced and converted half of her eight opportunities against Bencic, who was playing for her first title since 2019.