Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova Prediction & Picks - WTA Indian Wells

Prediction published on 3/13/25, 6:24 AM  by Lou Aguila | Modified on 3/13/25 at 6:27 AM in Tennis Picks

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will try to move closer to her first Indian Wells title, but standing in her way is Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, who thrashed Jasmine Paolini in their fourth-round pairing on Wednesday. Sabalenka is officially back to her dominant self after she registered another lopsided two-set win over Sonay Kartal of Great Britain 6-1 6-2. The world’s No.1’s power game proved just too much for Kartal as Sabalenka rattled off six consecutive games after conceding a service break on the first game to secure the first set.

The Belarusian took her intensity a notch higher in the second set, claiming two games to love with a break and a hold in the first two games. In the end, it was all Sabalenka, who earned 23 points off her first serves and captured five service breaks.

Samsonova barged into the quarterfinals with a clinical 6-0, 6-4 win over Jasmine Paolini of Italy. The Russian came out of the gates firing from all cylinders, holding all his serves and breaking Paolini three times for a near-perfect effort in the first set. Samsonova carried her momentum into the second set, where she raced to a 2-0 lead before putting on the finishing touches to wrap up the match in little bit over an hour.