Liudmila Samsonova to win
Head to head 2-2. Jelena drew the first blood at the Australian open in 2020 and in Luxembourg in 2021 but the Russian settled the score in Madrid and Beijing WTA 1000 events in 2023. Curiously all four of their encounters have ended in more or less one-sided straight sets. The Russian likes to play in Middle East more so that’s why I’m backing up her.