Ah, tennis. The most civilized of the gladiatorial sports. Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova are both hardened racquet-swiegers who have traversed the pristine lawns of this sport. Nevertheless, there exist some telling factors in their past performances that swing this scenario into a certain trajectory.
Veronika Kudermetova...ah the underdog. The thorn in Samsonova's side, it seems. Despite being unseeded, she's had Samsonova's number in the past, beating her twice out of three encounters. Their last meeting saw Kudermetova pull out a hard-fought victory in a match that had more ups and downs than a pogo stick competition.
However, don't be too quick on honking your horns for her. Kudermetova's recent performance hasn't exactly been stellar. Two losses out of her last five matches. It's like watching a swan trying to make it in a pelican's world.
On the other side, we got Liudmila Samsonova, the one seeded higher in the tournament. And you know what they say, "the higher the seed, the higher..." well, they don't say anything. I just made that up. But look at her recent performance, folks! It's as if she's been taking lessons from a combination of Serena Williams and a freight train. Only two losses in her last five matches.
So, dear would-be-bettors, despite Kudermetova's past victories over Samsonova, the tides of this sports ocean might be turning. The odyssey of green turf leans here towards the Samsonova camp, although it may not be a walkover by any means.
Albert's Prediction: Samsonova in 3 sets.