By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Monday, July 31, 2023
Liudmila Samsonova says she goals to benefit from the expertise of being a match defending champion at this week’s Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington D.C.
The No. 8 seed Samsonova loved a stable 6-1, 6-3 win over wildcard Danielle Collins in her opening spherical on Monday.
Samsonova supernova 💥
The reigning champion returns to DC with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Collins!#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/3WaxxvZsH0
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 31, 2023
World No. 18 Samsonova, who received final 12 months’s girls’s singles title over Kaia Kanepi, says she tried to handle her feelings and expectations happening first as we speak as defending champion.
“I’m making an attempt to handle the scenario, to attempt to learn to arrive to a match as a defending champion, learn how to handle all of the conditions. So for me, it is the whole lot fairly new. So I’m making an attempt to do my greatest to take pleasure in, to have enjoyable, and to play my greatest tennis.
When you play first match, it was not straightforward, since you play first as a defending champion, and it was okay. Let’s attempt, no? But whenever you end and also you win, it is wonderful feeling, as a result of you have got time, you have got time to get better, to follow tomorrow as a result of I’ve a time off (smiling),” Samsonova added.
Trying to have extra enjoyable on courtroom is a brand new precedence for the 24-year-old Samsonova who’s had an up and down season thus far in 2023. Though she reached the ultimate in Abu Dhabi, earlier this 12 months, the remainder of her outcomes have been combined. That consists of a gap spherical loss at Wimbledon a couple of weeks in the past.
It’s a far cry from the 2022 season the place she received three titles together with DC, Cleveland, and Tokyo.
She now desires to take pleasure in her time on courtroom slightly than give attention to the outcomes.
“My goal is to have fun, to have more fun on my game. Last months were tough, like not about the results that I had, but about I didn’t enjoy so much the game on the court. So my goal is this, to enjoy it, to play the tennis that I can play.”
Samsonova awaits the winner between Sorana Cirstea and Petra Martic.
Content Source: www.tennisnow.com