WTA Strasbourg Final Prediction: Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova

Expect much high-quality tennis in the WTA Strasbourg final between Elena Rybakina and Liudmila Samsonova. Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina hopes to win her ninth title while Samsonova seeks to secure her third. We here at LWOT give our prediction and analysis in this article, but which player do you think will win the title?

WTA Strasbourg Final Prediction

Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova

Head-to-head: Samsonova 4-1 Rybakina

The form of both women, even with Rybakina’s considerable pedigree, makes their appearance in the final quite surprising. Rybakina had not reached a final since the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in April of last year, and Samsonova had only managed one win on clay in 2025 before the event in Strasbourg began. Samsonova overcame Linda Noskova, Diane Parry, Paula Badosa, and Danielle Collins to reach the final. Rybakina defeated Wang Xinyu, Magda Linette, and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Winning four of their five previous meetings should give Samsonova confidence. However, Rybakina won their most recent match, and all five contests were on hard courts. The Kazakhstani’s best level on clay is undoubtedly the better of the two players. This will be Samsonova’s first final on the dirt, making her run to this stage even more surprising.

Samsonova’s first serve will likely be crucial in this matchup since she is less likely to get the same number of chances as in her previous matches. Rybakina is the best server on the WTA Tour, and the slow conditions in Strasbourg do not stop that shot from being important. Both players play aggressively and will attempt to hit through the sluggish courts during the rallies.

Haddad Maia pushed Rybakina to three sets in the semifinal. The Brazilian’s best chance of beating the former World No. 3 was on a slow clay court. By contrast, those conditions might suit Rybakina more in this matchup. Samsonova successfully rushed Rybakina in her previous wins by using the 25-year-old’s pace. Rybakina will have more time to wind up her groundstrokes and stop Samsonova from exposing her movement, the weakest element of the 2023 Australian Open runner-up’s game.

In addition, Rybakina’s serve is so formidable that it is good enough to consistently get free points on the slow courts, while Samsonova might be harmed more by the lack of pace. Samsonova’s excellent level this week means she cannot be ruled out. However, Rybakina will win if she finds her best tennis. I am backing the eight-time WTA titlist to do that and win a first title in over a year.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2