Samsonova wins epic 3-hour battle with Badosa in Dubai

Paula Badosa is struggling to get wins as the Spaniard lost another match and this one was a brutal 3-hour battle with Liudmila Samsonova who won 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 6-4.

It was a really good match between two very good players who play somewhat similarly. Both have a really strong serve which makes them hard to play. Both like to attack and have a lot of power in their shots which was evident in the match. It was a really close and competitive match, very long and gruelling with plenty of electrifying rallies.

We saw no breaks in the first set even though Badosa had plenty of chances to do so. She eventually settled on getting the job done in the tiebreak 7-3. The second set was another close one with Badosa this time around finally getting the break but failing to hold onto it and we went into another tiebreak.

Samsonova proved better this time taking it 7-5. She was a bit more aggressive and the serve helped her out a bit as well. In the final one, Samsonova really struggled with her serve but outplayed Badosa in the rallies, especially the crucial ones to get a break. She would hold onto the break to win the incredible battle after 3 hours and 22 minutes.