Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Cleveland match.
Top seed and 2022 champion Liudmila Samsonova looks to reassert her class on US hard courts as she opens against home player Caroline Dolehide.
Liudmila Samsonova
Samsonova enjoyed a strong grass swing (semi-final in Berlin, Wimbledon quarter-final) but has stumbled on hard courts with early elimination from Montreal and Cincinnati. In Canada, however, she lost only to Naomi Osaka, who went on to reach the final. This year Samsonova has a negative hard-court record (9-10), though eight of those defeats came against top-50 opposition. Her scalps in 2025 include Emma Navarro, Belinda Bencic, Jasmine Paolini and Daria Kasatkina, showing she can handle quality opponents.
Caroline Dolehide
Dolehide has struggled badly against top-20 players, losing 17 of 20 matches at that level. Recent form has been shaky too — defeats to Anna Blinkova and Rebecca Shramkova, the latter after taking the opening set (6:1). In 2025 Caroline holds an 8-7 record on hard, but has failed to progress beyond the second round at six of her eight events.
Liudmila Samsonova vs Caroline Dolehide Prediction
Samsonova is stronger across the board — superior serve, consistency from the baseline and far greater experience against elite rivals. Dolehide has yet to prove she can compete at top-20 level, and the Russian should cover the handicap.
