Stat corner: Samsonova saves match points, ousts Pegula in Berlin champ clash
In a grueling second-round encounter between two former champions at the Berlin Tennis Open by HYLO, 2021 titlist Liudmila Samsonova saved two match points in a 6-7(8), 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over defending champion and No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula.
Berlin: Draws | Scores | Order of play
"Maybe with the adrenaline right now, I’m OK," Samsonova told former Top 10 player Andrea Petkovic on court. "But I think later it’s not going to be so OK," the winner added with a laugh.
Let's break down some of the key numbers surrounding Wednesday's barnburner:
3:21: The match took 3 hours and 21 minutes to complete, placing it tied for fifth place in the year's longest matches so far. It ties with Daria Kasatkina's 3-hour and 21-minute victory over Peyton Stearns at Brisbane in the first week of the season.
For comparison's sake, the longest match of the year is Coco Gauff's 3-hour and 32-minute win over Zheng Qinwen in the Rome semifinals.
1: World No. 20 Samsonova saved two match points on her serve at 5-4 in the third set. This is the first time in her career that Samsonova has won from match point down in a Hologic WTA Tour main-draw match.
Samsonova already had to come from behind once this week. She fought back from a set down to squeak past Naomi Osaka in the first round -- although she didn't have to save match point on that occasion.
18: It was Samsonova's booming serve that regularly helped her during multiple marathon games with Pegula. Samsonova had 18 aces in Wednesday's match, and she is currently the serve-speed leader this week in Berlin.
6-for-7: Both players saved six of seven break points in the third set, as the match naturally came down to a final-set tiebreak.
A stunning backhand winner down the line by Samsonova set the tone as she opened up a 3-0 lead, but Pegula battled back to 5-5.
However, Samsonova earned her first match point with a rally forehand for 6-5, and she sealed the win with another fiery forehand. It is Samsonova's second win in six career meetings with Pegula.
2: With her win over World No. 3 Pegula, this becomes just the second event where Samsonova has beaten a player ranked inside the Top 3 at the time of their meeting.
Her two previous Top 3 wins both came at 2023 Montreal, where she beat No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Elena Rybakina en route to her first WTA 1000 final.
Overall, this is Samsonova's tenth career Top 10 win and her fourth of this season. She already picked up Top 10 wins over Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro and Paula Badosa during 2025.
106: This is Samsonova's first trip to the Berlin quarterfinals since she captured the title four years ago as a qualifier ranked No. 106. Samsonova was the first winner of this event after it returned to the calendar in 2021 as part of the grass-court swing.
