Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Strasbourg match.
Liudmila Samsonova arrives in Strasbourg aiming to build form ahead of Roland Garros, and her performance in the opening round suggests she's nearing top condition. A semi-finalist here last year, she seems very much at ease with both the surface and the conditions in Strasbourg. Diane Parry will be buoyed by playing at home and proved capable of feeding off the crowd’s energy in her win over Leylah Fernandez, but facing a power hitter like Samsonova represents a much sterner test.
Diane Parry
The Frenchwoman edged out Leylah Fernandez in straight sets (7:5, 7:6) in the first round, but her serve raised concerns—she landed just 59% of her first serves and won only 57% of those points. Since the beginning of 2024, Parry has found it difficult to perform on clay, losing six of her seven matches against top-50 opponents. Those defeats came not just against leading names such as Iga Swiatek and Zheng Qinwen, but also against Anna Blinkova and Anna Kalinskaya, players ranked lower than Samsonova.
Liudmila Samsonova
Liudmila Samsonova opened her Strasbourg campaign with a dominant 6:1, 7:5 win over Linda Noskova, currently ranked World No. 30. Her serve looked sharp, with 71% of first serves landing and a 76% success rate on those points. She seems comfortable at this venue, having won four of her last five matches here dating back to last year—including victories over Barbora Krejcikova, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Leylah Fernandez. This season, she has not lost to any player ranked outside the top 100. The last such defeat came at Wimbledon 2023, when she was beaten by Ana Bogdan, then World No. 175.
Diane Parry vs Liudmila Samsonova Prediction
Diane Parry is unlikely to mount serious resistance on home soil against the higher-ranked and in-form Liudmila Samsonova. The Russian looks confident in Strasbourg, and Diane Parry's recent record suggests she will struggle to match that level.
