Liudmila Samsonova vs. Barbora Krejcikova | 2024 Strasbourg

Not for the first time, Samsonova pulls that shut off. And the first set does go to the number five seed. Reasonably comfortable in the end. Serving it out in 41 minutes, six games to two. Oh, that's a great touch. Desperate attempt from Samsonova to rescue that point, but nicely done down the line from Krichikova. That's fabulous. What a shot. It's game on in the second set. Barbara Krichikova breaks the love. Given a set point as well. Oh, has that just caught the line? I think it has. Krichikova wants to look at it. She thinks it might be out. That's on the line. And she wasn't sure. We will be going the distance. And Barbara Krichikova has fought her way back into the contest somehow. From match point down at 5-3. She takes the second set, 7-6. Brilliant drop shot from Samsonova. It's nicely done. Well, it nearly slipped away. But Lyudmila Samsonova is into the second round in Strasbourg. Her first defeat at this tournament for the former champion. Back for the first time since winning the title in 2021. And she almost turned things around in dramatic fashion after saving match point in set two. And Samsonova, whose recent form has also been suffering a little, finds a way to win 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 in just under three hours.