Eighth‑seeded Liudmila Samsonova advanced to her first semifinal of the year after a dramatic comeback over top‑seed Marta Kostyuk at the Guadalajara Open on Thursday. Samsonova, a 27‑year‑old Russian, rallied from a set down to win 4‑6, 6‑2, 7‑5.
Kostyuk, a 24‑year‑old Ukrainian, was playing her first match of the week after receiving a first‑round bye and a walkover in the second round when her scheduled opponent, Taylor Townsend, withdrew for emergency surgery. Townsend’s social media post did not disclose details of the operation.
Semifinal match‑ups
Samsonova will meet a U.S. competitor in the semifinal, either Peyton Stearns or Sloane Stephens, who are contesting their quarterfinal later Thursday night. The other semifinal will feature second‑seed Iva Jovic, the defending champion, against sixth‑seed Cristina Bucsa of Spain.
Jovic dispatched seventh‑seed Magdalena Frech of Poland 6‑2, 6‑1, while Bucsa overwhelmed third‑seed Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic 6‑0, 6‑4.
Other tournament highlights
In the São Paulo event, Mary Stoiana earned a 7‑6 (5), 6‑1 victory over Dominika Salkova of the Czech Republic to reach her first WTA Tour quarterfinal. The 23‑year‑old, a former Texas A&M champion, is ranked 116th worldwide and will face second‑seed Paula Badosa next.
Additional straight‑set wins were recorded by fourth‑seed Anna Blinkova of Russia, seventh‑seed Kaitlin Quevedo of Spain, and eighth‑seed Alina Charaeva of Armenia. Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands defeated third‑seed Solana Sierra of Argentina 6‑3, 6‑2, and Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska beat fifth‑seed Eva Lys of Germany 7‑5, 6‑2.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
