Samsonova Libéma Open champion 2024

Ekaterina Alexandrova’s hegemony has come to an end in 2024, as Liudmila Samsonova is the new ruler on the Brabant grass. The number two seed won 4-6 6-3 7-5 over Bianca Andreescu in the final, after she already stumbled Alexandrova in a three-setter earlier on the final day.

The subdued Samsonova, number 15 in the world, is no stranger to Libéma Open. In 2022 she made her debut in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and in 2023 she reached the quarterfinals. This year, the 25-year-old player will take home the top prize, her fifth winner’s trophy at the highest level and second on grass.

It was not an easy route to final victory for Samsonova, who not only had to finish her rain-interrupted semifinal against two-time champion Alexandrova on Sunday morning, but also faced a set deficit in the final match against wildcard player Andreescu. ‘Fortunately, I only had to play one set this morning. In fact, the final was incredibly tough. Bianca is a very tough opponent and a great champion. I got the energy from somewhere and was able to grow in the match.’ The exciting final took more than two and a half hours and required a comeback from the eventual champion.

‘It was quite a busy week for everyone as the weather did not cooperate, but I want to thank everyone from the organisation for the effort that was made to make it as comfortable as possible for us given the circumstances.’

Andreescu celebrated her 24th birthday on finals day, but was unable to give herself a present in front of the fans in the stands and showed emotion during the awards ceremony.

‘This was not the result I wanted, but Liudmila played fantastic and deserved it. For me this week was a huge step forward, because I’ve had a difficult period and this was only my second tournament since my return. Good things are waiting for me,’ said Andreescu, who has struggled with injuries for many years and returned to the tour at Roland Garros after nasty back problems.

In the quarterfinals, Andreescu, 2019 US Open champion, did win the cracker of the tournament against Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka, after which she maintained her form and reached the final. In that, Samsonova thus proved the better in three sets. During the award ceremony, the champion looked ahead to 2025. ‘The tournament is awesome and crazy organised. There was again a fantastic atmosphere here and I’m very happy to see you next year,” she told the spectators.

‘This title means a lot to me because I lost my last three finals. Last year I was in a final battle three times and now I have won a title again,’ concluded the delighted winner.