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Russia's Samsonova advances to second round at US Open

Yuan Yue is ranked 100th in WTA Rankings and has one career WTA title

NEW YORK, August 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Lyudmila Samsonova defeated China’s Yuan Yue in the opening round of this year’s final Grand Slam, the 2025 US Open.

The 17th-seeded Samsonova, who plays under neutral status internationally, came back after a first-set defeat to take down the unseeded Yuan with a final score of 2-6; 6-4; 6-4. The Russian will play in the next round against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.

Samsonova, 26, is currently ranked 20th in the Women’s Tennis Association Rankings (WTA) and has five career WTA titles. Playing on the Grand Slam circuit, she has made it as far as Round 4 (2021 Wimbledon and 2022, 2024 US Open). In 2021, she won the Billie Jean King Cup as part of the Russian national team.

Yuan Yue is ranked 100th in WTA Rankings and has one career WTA title. Her best showing in Grand Slams was in 2022, also at the US Open, when she reached the third round.

The 2025 US Open is being held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York between August 24 and September 7. The tournament will hand out $90 million in prize money. Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus are the reigning champions in men’s and women’s singles respectively.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations moved to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022, to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from participating in the 2022 Davis Cup and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.

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