Samsonova the revival?

Liudmila Samsonova is right-handed, 27 years old, ranked 42nd in the world, struggling since the start of the season with only 8 wins and 15 losses. But on grass she becomes a different player again: 28–17 in her career on the surface, a title in ’s‑Hertogenbosch in 2024, a Wimbledon quarter-final in 2025, and on Monday against Siniakova a benchmark serving performance with ten aces and a dominant first serve. This resurgence is no accident; she’s a player who’s getting back to the surface that suits her best, just when she needed it most. Five straight losses before this tournament, but on fast grass the machine naturally starts running smoothly again.

Elina Svitolina is right-handed, 31 years old, ranked 8th in the world, one of the best players on tour in 2026 with 34 wins and 9 losses and a title in Rome. But grass remains the surface she handles the least well (54% win rate in her career), and the loss to Eala in Berlin last week was no accident: she’s a player arriving in Bad Homburg with heavy legs and her grass-court automatisms still a work in progress before Wimbledon.