Ningbo Prediction: Samsonova vs Kessler 10/16/2025 Today’s Tennis Picks

Eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova will face McCartney Kessler in the second round of the 2025 Ningbo Open on Thursday, October 16. Here’s our Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler prediction. This preview will also include a Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler pick.

Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler Preview

Liudmila Samsonova beat Chinese wild card Hanyu Guo in straight sets to progress into the second round of the Ningbo Open. The first set had only eight games but featured some long games and points. Samsonova was able to break Guo three times and won the set 6-2 in 48 minutes. 

The Russian big hitter led 3-0 with a double break at the start of the second set, but she dropped her next two service games as Guo rallied to level the set. But serving at 4-all, the World No. 190 was broken again and Samsonova needed four match points on her serve to close it out.

Samsonova hit 6 aces and 7 double faults in the victory. She landed 45% of first serves in play and won 58% of first serve points (19/33). Samsonova won 49% of second serve points (20/41) and saved eight of 11 break points.

McCartney Kessler is coming off a comprehensive win over fellow American Sofia Kenin in the opening round of the Ningbo Open. The match took 13 games to decide. Kessler won 6-1, 6-0 in under an hour for the shortest victory in her season.

In the victory, Kessler hit 5 aces and 4 double faults. She landed 60% of first serves in play and won 81% of first serve points (22/27). Kessler won 56% of second serve points (10/18) and saved all three break points she faced in the match. Kessler is closing in on a return to the top 30. This was her 25th win on hard courts.

Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler Head-To-Head

Samsonova and Kessler have never faced off before this.

Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler Prediction

Kessler looked like a completely different player in her straight-sets shellacking of Kenin. Last week, she was physically struggling in the heat in Wuhan. This is a tight line as Samsonova starts as the slight favorite. I’m giving her the edge. The Russian is normally direct in her approach with a big serve and pacey ground strokes. Kessler is a great absorber of pace, but the firepower gap should be decisive if Samsonova stays clean and clinical.