Liudmila Samsonova celebrated winning her most recent match at the National Bank Canadian Open (Omnium Banque Nationale) in Montreal by hitting balls at the tournament's mascot.

Fifteenth seed Samsonova emerged as the surprise victor against world No. 2 Sabalenka in their Round of 16 match at the WTA 1000 event in Canada.

The 2023 Australian Open champion fought hard with her trademark powerful serves, which helped her to ace Samsonova several times, but the Russian player's quick thinking and smart decisions meant that she won the match 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3.

Read also

ATP Draw 2023 Cincinnati Open (Western & Southern Open) featuring Alcaraz, Djokovic, Medvedev, Fritz, Tsitsipas and Tiafoe

Samsonova echoes Sabalenka's mascot-hitting

Samsonova went on to face Belinda Bencic in the quarter-finals, where she defeated the Swiss player in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Following her victory, she engaged in a fun game with the official tournament mascot.

The 24-year-old shot balls at the mascot, who then attempted to dodge them. The crowd played along, cheering and shouting at Samsonova's attempts.

This hilarious promotional bit is very similar to Sabalenka's game with the mascot earlier in the tournament.

Read also

"Gambling is a cancer to society": Andy Roddick criticized after becoming Betway's global ambassador

Sabalenka played against mascot after an earlier match

In a video posted on the Omnium Banque Nationale Twitter page after Sabalenka's first-round win against Petra Martic, the Belarusian player can be seen hitting several shots at the mascot.

Just as with Samsonova, the crowd played along for a fun few minutes of unwinding after the match.

Samsonova will go on to face third seed Elena Rybakina in her semi-final match at the tournament. Meanwhile, Sabalenka is preparing to compete at the Cincinnati Open.

Omnium Banque Nationale

@OBNmontreal

·Follow

Not the mascot getting hit again 😭 @LiudaSamsonova | #NBO23

Watch on Twitter

88

Reply

Copy link

Read 3 replies