Second-seed Liudmila Samsonova was eliminated from the Korea Open on Wednesday after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to fellow Russian Veronika Kudermetova in the round of 16. Despite receiving a bye in the first round, Samsonova struggled in her opening match, committing several unforced errors, allowing Kudermetova to secure the win in just 1 hour and 15 minutes.
With Samsonova’s exit, top-seed Daria Kasatkina remains the clear favorite in a field that has already been weakened by notable withdrawals, including world number one Iga Swiatek, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Kudermetova, who started the year ranked 16th but has since dropped to 44th, will now face either Amanda Anisimova or Viktoriya Tomova in the quarterfinals.
Kudermetova expressed her relief after the match, acknowledging the challenge of facing Samsonova. She made a critical break midway through the first set and added another at the start of the second. Although she struggled to maintain her lead at times, she ultimately won when Samsonova hit the net on match point.
In other results, seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova was knocked out by world number 163 Polina Kudermetova, 6-2, 7-5. Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Carol Zhao, and fifth seed Marta Kostyuk cruised past Heather Watson with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
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