Andreescu was up by a set before Liudmila Samsonova stormed back to beat the Canadian in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final.
Bianca Andreescu has fallen just short of winning her first title since the 2019 US Open after No. 2 seed Liudmila Samsonova edged out the Canadian 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final.
Andreescu, who turned 24 today, was playing in her first final since 2022 June and she was also seeking her fifth career title and her first title since she became a Grand Slam champion at Flushing Meadows in 2019. Unfortunately for Andreescu, she didn’t manage to capitalize on her early lead as world No. 15 Samsonova came back from a set down to win her first title since 2022 and also improve to five career titles.
After defeating Dalma Galfi in the s’-Hertogenbosch semifinal, Andreescu jokingly told the crowd she’d want whatever they wanted if she managed to finally end her title drought. And on Sunday, Andreescu came close but ultimately ended on the losing side in a thriller that lasted two hours and 34 minutes.
How Samsonova edged out Andreescu for the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title?
After earning the first break of the match in the third game and blowing it instantly in the fourth game, Andreescu earned another break in the fifth game to go 3-2 up. But after going up by a break for the second time, Andreescu managed to hold on to her serve for the remainder of the set and clinch the first set.
Down by a set, Samsonova quickly responded by claiming an early break and a 3-0 second-set lead. In the fifth game, Andreescu managed to get the break back but Samsonova remained unfazed, breaking the Canadian again in the sixth game to open a 4-2 lead. Samsonova then served out the seventh and eighth games to close out the second set and force a decider.
After securing the second set, Samsonova also broke Andreescu early in the third set to take a 3-1 lead but the Canadian got that break back in the eighth game. Unfortunately for Andreescu, she didn’t manage to hold on to her serve after getting the break back as Samsonova broke the Canadian in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead before realizing her first match point on her serve in the following game.