I tell ya folks, the tension going into this one could be cut with a spatula. From my recliner here, we've got a true nail-biter, but let's dissect our two challengers.
In one corner, we've got Liudmila Samsonova, coming in hot, tournament seed 15, just served up some rousing recent wins, cracking the whip twice straight with no love given. But alas, she stumbled in the face of Siniaková and Kudermetova, making it a mixed bag.
On the other side, Anna Kalinskaya, poised with a tournament seed of 17. She's been straight shooting too, sinking shots against Udvardy and Bouzková, giving no love lost. Kalinskaya flirted with peril against Sabalenka and Pegula, but hey who's counting right?
A good match this ones going to be. Like a zebra at a penguin party, something's got to give. My money, if I were a betting man, which between you and me, my bookmaker knows I am, would be on Samsonova. And that will be a bit of a rocky road, not the comfy straight sets win, oh no, look for this to move into a tense third set.
Albert’s Prediction: Samsonova in 3 sets.