WTA Cleveland: Tournament Preview and Picks
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
Tournament history
Something of a low-key tournament, this event, known formerly as Tennis in the Land, is a relatively new addition to the WTA Tour, debuting in 2021. Currently it is a WTA 250 category tournament, which means it’s fairly low-key, but for several players, it presents a key opportunity to build form ahead of the US Open, which takes place at Flushing Meadows in New York next week.
Past champions and finalists of the WTA Cleveland event:
2024 - McCartney Kessler defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia
2023 - Sara Sorribes Tormo defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova
2022- Luidmila Samsonova defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich
2021 - Anett Kontaveit defeated Irina-Camelia Begu
It’s fair to say that the big players involved in this tournament usually make the final. Samsonova and Kessler were both among the highest seeds when winning in 2022 and 2024 respectively, while Beatriz Haddad Maia was one of the higher-ranked players last year too, as was Ekaterina Alexandrovia in 2023.
Big names missing from the draw
There will be a clear lack of top-tier talent on show in Cleveland this week. In fact, not a single top-ten player will feature at this tournament, while only one top-20 player will be involved, meaning that this clearly is an opportunity for someone not yet at the top of the WTA tree to make a name for themselves.
Last year, this tournament was won by McCartney Kessler, who defeated Beatriz Hadad Maia in three sets to secure the title. However, the American will not be defending her crown this time around, which means that we’ll have a new champion, unless of course Liudmila Samsonova wins, which is far from out of the question. After all, the Russian is the top seed, while she’s a former winner of this event, getting the job done back in 2022. Keep an eye out for her this week.
Samsonova is the highest-ranked player due to be involved, as well as the top seed, and she’s clear of the pack in terms of rankings. Her nearest challenger is Xinyu Wang, who as the second seed, ranks 37th. Next up is Lois Boisson, who is currently ranked as the 47th best female player on the planet. As one of the highest-ranked in the event, she’ll be looking to go deep this week.
Samsonova to keep her superb record alive
As touched on above, Liudmila Samsonova won this event back in 2022, and that’s the only time that she’s been involved, meaning that she’s never lost a match in Cleveland. The event is far from stacked with top players, let’s be honest, so there’s a very real chance that the Russian maintains her perfect record, and at odds of +375, I think she’s worth betting on to do just that.
Looking at the draw, it really is difficult to see where Samsonova is going to come unstuck. First up, she faces world number 76 Caroline Dolehide, who she beat in straight sets earlier in the season. Assuming she navigates her way past the American, the world number 18 will face Peyton Stearns, who is comfortably ranked below her and who has struggled for form recently.
Boisson looks the most likely quarter-final opponent, but again, if push came to shove, I’d simply have to fancy the Russian to get the job done there. After all, Samsonova, though her overall 2025 form is patchy, has beaten some better players than we’ll see this week on hard courts this season, including Belinda Bencic, Emma Navarro, Daria Kasatkina and Jasmine Paolini.
To be completely honest, this is what you’d call a massive opportunity for a player of Liudmila Samsonova’s level, and if she can build momentum by delivering a decisive first-round performance, I’d fancy her to go all the way. I’m not sure that odds of +375 quite reflect how much of a gilt-edged opportunity this is for the Russian to get going ahead of the US Open. Therefore, there’s value on offer and I’ll be snapping that value up. Will you?
Our WTA Cleveland Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win the title.
