Abu Dhabi Open: Krejcikova vs Samsonova Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open as Barbora Krejcikova takes on Ludmilla Samsonova in the second round on Thursday, February 9, 2023.

It is another too-close-to-call matchup as former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova takes on big-hitting Ludmilla Samsonova. Who will prevail and reach the Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinal?

Barbora Krejcikova wasted no time in making her presence felt as she cooly dispatched Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her first-round match at the Abu Dhabi Open. Krejcikova overcame a second-set wobble, partly aided by Ruse’s inability to hold serve consistently. But considering that this was Krejcikova’s first singles match since her fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, it was a job well done.

Ludmilla Samsonova, for her part, recovered from dropping the first set against Claire Liu and romped to take 12 of the last 14 games in the match. Liu was replacing the injured Paula Badosa as a lucky loser, but her game fell apart after taking the first set. Samsonova flipped the script and went on a rampage in the second and third sets.

Barbora Krejcikova and Ludmilla Samsonova have not played each other on the WTA Tour. Thursday’s second-round match at the Abu Dhabi Open will be their first official meeting. I’d have to go with Krejcikova here simply because her double prowess will give her that leeway to win points against the run of play. Krejcikova will likely absorb Samsonova’s power with her excellent retrieval skills. If she finds a way to diffuse the Russian’s serve, she stands a great chance of frustrating her opponent in longer rallies with her mix of slice and approach shots.