Laura Samson Outlasts Selekhmeteva in Prague to Match Gauff Record
Sixteen-year-old Czech wild card Laura Samson became the youngest WTA semifinalist since Coco Gauff in 2019 after mounting a comeback victory at the Livesport Prague Open. Making her main draw debut on the WTA Tour, the former junior world No. 1 defeated Russian qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a quarterfinal match that lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes.
The victory put the teenage local favourite directly into the final four of her home tournament. Samson survived a difficult opening set before taking control of the baseline rallies to seal the three-set win in front of the local crowd.
Three-set thriller in Prague
Samson entered the Livesport Prague Open main draw as an unseeded wild card entrant. In her quarterfinal against Selekhmeteva, she dropped the first set 2-6 as the Russian qualifier broke early. Samson regrouped in the second set, leveling the match with a 6-3 set win to force a decider.
The third set stretched past the two-and-a-half-hour mark as both players traded holds. Samson eventually broke late in the set to secure the 7-5 finish. The WTA confirmed that her run to the Prague semifinals made her the youngest player to reach the final four of a WTA event since Gauff’s breakthrough in 2019.
US Open qualifying and tour debuts
Following her performance in Prague, Laura Samson entered the Grand Slam stage during the US Open qualifying rounds. Facing former Roland Garros semifinalist Tamara Zidansek on Day 2 of qualifying, Samson played out another extended multi-set contest. Zidansek eventually edged out Samson in a first-round thriller to advance in the qualifying draw.
Later in the season, Samson made her appearance at the Cali Open 2026 Women’s Singles tournament in Colombia. Listed under tournament filings as Laura Samsonova, she drew France’s Carole Monnet in the Round of 16 on 04 November 2026 as she continued her first full year on the senior professional circuit.
Late-2026 tour results
Samson’s rise comes amid a busy late-2026 schedule across both the WTA and ATP tours. On the men’s side, Francisco Cerundolo picked up his first ATP Tour indoor hard-court win of 2026 at the Stockholm tournament, eliminating Swedish home entrant Elias Ymer.
Meanwhile, online prediction markets on Robinhood opened trading on several high-profile late-season matchups. The platform hosted prediction markets for the Aidan Mayo versus Michael Mmoh match on November 9, 2026, followed by a WTA matchup featuring Jessica Pegula against Mirra Andreeva on November 15, 2026.
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