Quite disappointing in Strasbourg, Liudmila has a tricky match-up here at RG.

Liudmila Samsonova, 27 years old, WTA No. 20, right-handed, 1.82m, names hard courts as her favorite surface, and her five WTA titles on hard and grass back that up. On clay in 2026, her season has been disappointing: withdrew from Madrid, knocked out in the first round in Strasbourg by Kasatkina 7–5 6–3 last week, and a 3–7 record in her last ten matches. Her 2026 clay metrics reveal a player who holds serve well, with 67.2% of service games won, but fails to deliver in the key moments: Match Efficiency at 0.594, clearly below the break-even line, and zero tiebreaks won on clay this season. Against left-handers, the numbers speak for themselves: 13 losses in 24 career matches, 3–4 recently. The angle of the left arm structurally disrupts her baseline game on a surface that precisely amplifies those differences in angle and spin.

Jil Teichmann, 28 years old, WTA No. 177, a left-hander born in Barcelona and coached by Arantxa Parra Santonja since 2019, shows a 2026 clay profile that is clearly stronger than expected. Her two WTA titles are on clay, her 8–4 record over the last 52 weeks on the surface at WTA level, and her semifinal in Rabat this week against solid opponents all confirm that she is in a good period on clay. Her return is her main weapon on this surface: 44.5% of return games won compared to 33.3% for Samsonova, and 44.5% of points won on opponents’ first serves compared to 36.3%. She creates almost one break point per game and converts them at 45%. The head-to-head confirms the pattern: two wins in two meetings, including one on clay in Palermo, 6–3 6–1.