Elena Rybakina secured her first WTA title for more than a year with a three-set win over Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the Strasbourg final on Saturday.
The Kazakh world number 12, who faces Argentinian qualifier Julia Riera in the French Open first round on Monday, clinched a 6-1, 6-7 (1/7), 6-1 success.
TITLE NO. 9️⃣
— wta (@WTA) May 24, 2025
Elena Rybakina captures her first title in over a year after defeating Samsonova 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-1!#IS25 pic.twitter.com/QqNY2qxn2H
Rybakina has slipped down the rankings in recent months and was playing in her first final since winning the Stuttgart title last April.
But the former Wimbledon champion showed signs of a return to form against the 19th-ranked Samsonova, cruising to an ultimately comfortable victory despite an erratic second-set tie-break.