Rybakina in the first final of 2025 meets the title on Samsonova

Elena Rybakina is again on the right track at the Internationalaux de Strasbourg. The former Wimbledon champion overtook on Friday in the semi -finals of the WTA 500 event in the semi -finals of the WTA 500 event in three sets no. 9 and will compete against Liudmila Samsonova for her first title for more than a year.

Strasbourg: Drawing | Scores | Game

The best-set Rybakina took 2 hours and 46 minutes to see a title match for the first time since winning the Porsche tennis Grand Prix in the semi-finals 7-6 (7). The former world No. 12, which for the first time in 2023 from the top 10 broke out in the last sentence, six games in a row and played the former Roland Garros semifinalist her first Clay Court final.

“It was really hard against Bia, we always had hard games, so I expected that,” said Rybakina afterwards. In the second set she played better … and it was difficult to keep up. In the third I was immediately broken and after I just tried to concentrate point by point to stay close in the score and somehow managed to turn it around.

“I knew that one or two points could change everything.”

Rybakina’s aggression finally helped her bring her across the line. Although the two players only broke out 6-against-24 combination on Break Point chances three times, the Kazakh 44 winner hit Haddad Maias 22.

First-strike tennis also helped triumph in the second semi-final, a 6: 4, 6: 2 victory against Danielle Collins. The American was looking for a second final in Strasbourg after he had finished second place at Madison Keys last year, and started the lead with 2-0 in the first year. And after Samsonova won four games in a row, Collins grouped themselves to 4: 2 and frustrated Samsonova’s offenses with changes in the pace.

But the world No. 19 had control from there and won eight out of ten games to have won their first final since winning the WTA 250 Gras Court 250 in ‘S-Hertogenbosch last summer.

Although seven places under Rybakina is located in the PIF WTA ranking in the WTA ranking, Samsonova will take a 4: 1 head-to-head record against Rybakina in the title game on Saturday. Both players will contest their first final of 2025, and Samsonova offers their first title in the Clay Court after eight earlier finals and grass.