Luxembourg Open: Ekaterina Alexandrova, Liudmila Samsonova make it to 2R



by ABBEY JOHNSON

Luxembourg Open: Ekaterina Alexandrova, Liudmila Samsonova make it to 2R

All seeded players who played their first-round matches on Monday at the Luxembourg Open advanced to the second round. Ekaterina Alexandrova seeded fourth, defeated Swiss wildcard Stefanie Voegele 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in an hour and 48 minutes.

The Russian won 74% of her first-serve points to Voegele’s 58%. She was broken four times across the match but also converted six of the 15 break points, she had on Voegele’s serve. Alexandrova won 90 points in the match while Voegele won 78.

In the second round, the world no. 34 will take on Clara Tauson. The Dane defeated Australian Astra Sharma 6-2, 6-2 in their first-round clash in an hour and 13 minutes.

Luxembourg Open: Good day for Russians, Frenchwomen

Alexandrova’s compatriot and seventh seed, Liudmila Samsonova notched a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Misaki Doi of Japan.

Samsonova needed an hour and 16 minutes to complete the match. Samsonova won 84% of her first-serve points to Doi’s 51%. While she was broken once in the match, she went on to convert five of the seven break points, she had on Doi’s serve.

The Russian won 64 points for the match while Doi won 43. For a place in the quarter-finals, Samsonova will play France’s Oceane Dodin. Dodin defeated Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3. The last seed to win her opener on Monday was the eighth seed, Alize Cornet.

The Frenchwoman defeated Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 40 minutes. Cornet won 72% of her first-serve points to Potapova’s near 59%. She also did slightly better than her rival in terms of second-serve points won – 38% to the latter’s 37%.

Cornet lost her serve twice but broke Potapova five times to clinch the win in straight sets. In the second round, Cornet will play either Varvara Gracheva or Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella, who received a wildcard. Lastly, in the first-round clash between two qualifiers at the Luxembourg Open, Jana Fett pipped Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3. The Czech will play either qualifier Lesia Tsurenko or Aliaksandra Sasnovich next.

Ekaterina Alexandrova Alize Cornet Oceane Dodin