Can soaring Liudmila Samsonova 'do an Anett Kontaveit' and qualify for WTA Finals in Forth Worth?

What is it about this time of year on the WTA Tour? In 2021 it was Anett Kontaveit going on a tear to secure an unlikely-looking place at the season-ending WTA Finals. In 2022 it’s Liudmila Samsonova who is rapidly surging upwards. Ad Samsonova won the Japan Open without dropping a set a fortnight ago to lift her third title in two months.

Billie Jean King CupRaducanu selected for Great Britain’s BJK Cup Finals Finals squad4 HOURS AGO She has now: Won 18 of her last 19 matches Won 36 of her last 40 sets Moved up to No. 23 in the world rankings Got the best service-hold percentage on the WTA Tour this season (81.8%) Moved into contention to qualify for WTA Finals Just as Caroline Garcia was streaking ahead of the US Open, and Kontaveit did last year when she qualified for the WTA Finals after a superb finish to the season, Samsonova is doing so now. But can the 23-year-old keep it up to book her spot in Fort Worth, Texas? It’s far from a sure thing right now.

Samsonova is 800 points behind Veronika Kudermetova, who is ninth in the standings and currently set to qualify as eight-placed Simona Halep is not playing again this season due to injury. But only two players – world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and world No.

2 Ons Jabeur – have currently qualified for the WTA Finals, so there could be plenty of movement in the standings over the next four weeks. Samsonova has had a fortnight off after her victory in Japan and returns this week at the San Diego Open, which is a WTA 500 event. She will then head to Guadalajara, which is the last WTA 1000 of the season.