Liudmila Samsonova beats Aryna Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic in Montreal doubleheader

Liudmila Samsonova advanced to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal on Friday by outlasting world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in two hours and 55 minutes—then made it a first WTA 1000 semifinal when she returned to the court to beat Belinda Bencic,.

Her third-round clash with the Australian Open champion was due to be played out Thursday night, but never managed to get on by the time multiple rain delays allowed play to resume. Taking on Sabalenka for the third time since October 2022, Samsonova saved 11 of the 13 break points she faced, including five of six in the final set. The No. 15 seed moved ahead 2-1 in the pair’s head-to-head series, avenging a season opening loss to the Belarusian at Adelaide 1.

Samsonova arrived in Canada on the back of a semifinal showing in Washington, D.C., where she was ultimately tripped up in her title defense bid by eventual champion Coco Gauff. Earlier this week, she defeated Katerina Siniakova and Zheng Qinwen to book the showdown with Sabalenka.

Bencic also played out her delayed third-rounder with Petra Kvitova, turning the tide to advance, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-1. In a heartwarming display, Kvitova came to Bencic’s aid when her 12th-seeded opponent suffered an ankle scare in the second game of the deciding set. The Swiss proved capable of playing on and like Samsonova, was stellar when her serve was put under pressure. Kvitova managed to take just one of the 11 break point chances she created in defeat.

Samsonova ended Bencic's bid with a 6-4, 6-4 win, once again protecting her serve in staving off all five break points she stared down. The 24-year-old also fired eight aces against six double faults.