August 14, (THEWILL) – Russian tennis player, Liudmila Samsonova, climbed six spots in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released on Monday.
The 24-year-old rose to a career-best ranking of 12th after her impressive run to the final of the National Bank Open in Montreal over the weekend. Although she ultimately fell in straight sets to American Jessica Pegula in Sunday’s final, her semi-final victory over former world number one, Victoria Azarenka, cemented her status as a rising star in women’s tennis.
Samsonova’s previous career-high ranking was also 12th, which she first achieved back in February of this year. The top of the overall rankings remains unchanged, with Poland’s Iga Swiatek still holding the number one spot. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Jessica Pegula hold second and third place respectively.
Other notable movements in the top 20 include Victoria Azarenka’s one-spot rise to 18th and Beatriz Haddad Maia’s slide from 12th down to 19th. Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina holds firm at 13th and fellow Russian, Veronika Kudermetova, remains at 16th.
Samsonova’s ranking boost caps off an impressive past 12 months for the Moscow-born player. She will look to continue her momentum at the upcoming Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
