A couple of players had to play two matches on Friday at the Canadian Open in Montreal. On Thursday, rain forced the postponement of two third-round matches which meant the winners of these two matches would’ve had to play their rescheduled match as well as their quarter-final on the following day.
Eventually, Liudmila Samsonova was the player who made the most of this as she won both matches she played to advance to the semi-finals. Samsonova first upset Aryna Sabalenka in their round-of-16 meeting. Seeded 15th, Samsonova got the better of the world’s second-best player, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 just five minutes shy of three hours.
After the match, Sabalenka, who’d previously had a chance of going past Iga Swiatek in the WTA singles rankings, complimented her opponent for her effort. She said, “She played unbelievable tennis. Physically, I wasn’t ready to play at my highest level.
I’m still happy with the fighting spirit I showed. Overall, great week. Amazing support. I’m disappointed I’m not able to enjoy this atmosphere again”. Later, Samsonova posted another upset. This time, over 12th seed Belinda Bencic.
Needed an hour and 49 minutes to enter the semis, Samsonova won in straight…
