Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu WTA Elite Trophy Expert Tip: Zhu Live to Upset Samsonova

Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu (WTA Elite Trophy): Thursday, October 26th

No update on Ann Li’s match against Elizabeth Mandlik, as play was delayed by rain for several hours in Tampico.

For Thursday’s preview, we head to the first of two year-end finals for the WTA tour, as 12 women have a chance at the WTA Elite Trophy. Let’s take a look at Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu.

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In this article:

• Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu Expert Tip
• Ludmilla Samsonova Recent Form
• Lin Zhu Recent Form
• Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu H2H Stat of the Match
• Gamble Responsibly

Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu Expert Tip

It’s important to note that I’m not going to make the case for Zhu to be the favourite here.

She’s obviously the underdog in the matchup, but I think the fact that the market has made her a 3/1 underdog is a bit much.

Does Samsonova have the big edge on serve and in terms of power from the baseline? Sure. Is there a legitimate path to victory for Zhu to pull off the upset? Absolutely.

There is absolutely the chance that Samsonova hits cleanly and powers Zhu off the court. There is also the chance that Zhu deals with the pace very well, as she tends to do as a counterpuncher and uses her own preference for flatter hitting and quicker courts to her advantage to keep things close.

With Samsonova not the greatest mover and susceptible to defeat against decent counterpunchers that can move the ball around the court effectively, I’m happy to back the wild card to potentially upset yet another talented Russian this week.

• Expert Tip: Zhu +1.5 sets at 2.04 with Unibet, using 3/10 stakes.
  Zhu to win at 3.80 with Unibet, using 2/10 stakes.

Odds as at 4:00 am UK Time on October 26th, 2023. Odds may now differ.

Read on for more expert insights.

Ludmilla Samsonova Recent Form

We’ve seen some great performances from Samsonova in recent times, including finals appearances in both Montreal and Beijing at two big WTA 1000 tournaments.

When she has lost, however, it’s been in pretty ugly fashion. The Montreal final was understandable, as she played the final on very little rest, but we also saw her fall apart physically from a set up at the U.S. Open, in Cincinnati and in her loss in Tokyo.

A few weeks ago in Zhengzhou? The same thing happened, as she won the first set against Laura Siegemund, before falling apart.

Whether it’s because she plays a low-margin game that can’t win when she’s missing her spots, or because the heat gets to her, it’s not a great sign.

Thursday evening in Zhuhai is not only expected to be around 26 degrees, but have humidity in the 80% range as well.

That doesn’t bode well for someone that has tended to struggle physically in her last several losses.

Zhu is also a player that can make her run and can turn the match into a physical affair.

Lin Zhu Recent Form

It’s been a wacky few months for Zhu, who has gone through two spells of struggling to find a win, while also posting some pretty positive results in other stretches.

For instance, from Wimbledon to Cincinnati, the 29-year-old played five tournaments and won just one match between them.

She then made the semifinal in Cleveland, third round of the U.S. Open (where she lost in three sets as a big underdog against Belinda Bencic), reached the final in Osaka and won the silver medal at the Asian Games.

Then it was a trio of lopsided losses in a row before receiving the wild card to play the Elite Trophy, where she upset Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets to open round robin play.

That was accomplished as a high-odds underdog as well, and it also means there’s a big motivation advantage for her in this one.

Should she win the match, she’d top the group of three players and move onto the semifinals. If she loses? Her fate is in the hands of Samsonova and Kudermetova who would play each other Friday.

With the flat hitting style and ability to move the ball around the court effectively, I don’t think she’ll be bothered too much by the Russian’s pace and certainly could exploit her movement en route to a win.

Ludmilla Samsonova vs Lin Zhu H2H – Stat of the Match

Zhu did manage to win the lone match these two have played at the professional level, but context is always key. That match happened four years ago on hard courts, when Samsonova wasn’t half the player she is now.

It does reassure us that Zhu has seen the raw power before, however, so hopefully she can draw on that experience and remember how she dealt with it back in 2019.

SAFER GAMBLING

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