Only a couple of days remain before the start of the 2025 Australian Open. Top-seeded Jessica Pegula has made the semifinals at the WTA Adelaide International. While she’s joined by three unseeded players, it’s a stacked line-up anyway. Madison Keys will try to beat Liudmila Samsonova and potentially join Pegula in an all-American final. Who do you think will advance to the championship match?
WTA Adelaide Semifinal Predictions
Madison Keys vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Keys 4-1
Liudmila Samsonova won her first match against Madison Keys on the grass courts in Berlin in 2021, but the American has defeated her four times in a row since. That includes two hard-court meetings at 2022 Adelaide and 2023 US Open. Keys is coming off a spectacular performance against Kasatkina where she hit 37 winners herself and limited the Russian to just 3. Success in that matchup doesn’t have to mean anything when taking on Samsonova, given this will be a lot more of a power-hitting blow-for-blow contest. But since she’s done well against her in the past and is a little more dynamic and consistent… She might just find a way to translate that level from yesterday to another rivalry.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Jessica Pegula vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Pegula 2-0
Jessica Pegula withdrew ahead of her Adelaide semifinal last year to keep some energy for the Australian Open, but she had a bit more rhythm last year having played the United Cup as well. Now she advanced to this stage with a couple of quick wins and likely doesn’t have as much incentive to pull out. Yulia Putinsteva can be an unpleasant matchup even for top players as she’s such a fierce and determined competitor. In five matches in 2025, she’s only lost to eventual Brisbane champion Aryna Sabalenka. Pegula handled her business professionally in their previous meetings and will probably find a way to attack without unnecessary risk.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
