Diana Shnaider beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4 in Washington, in a match decided by cleaner returning. Shnaider converted three of five break points, saved four of five break points she faced, and finished with a 66-52 edge in total points.
Shnaider took control of the opening set with the only break in game four, going up 3-1 on her way to 6-3. The second set swung early: Shnaider broke in game one for 1-0, Samsonova hit back at 2-2, but Shnaider broke again the very next game and closed out the set.
The decisive edge came on return: Shnaider won 29 return points to Samsonova’s 16 and put 66% of her first serves in play. Even with Samsonova hitting four aces, Shnaider earned 18 points from 32 opportunities on Samsonova’s second serve.