Generation 2008 is making its mark on the WTA Tour, as Laura Samson becomes the first women’s tennis player born that year to record a main-draw match win. The Czech prodigy dropped just two games in her first-round victory over qualifier Tara Wurth at the Livesport Prague Open on Monday.
Reflecting on her previous season, Samson shared her thoughts on Instagram in December: “It was an incredible year in which i grew a lot in many ways. Thanks to everyone that helped me improve to get where I am now. One year ago I honestly didn’t expect myself to move forward this much and I’m so grateful for everything.”
The 16-year-old Samson is enjoying a remarkable 2024 season so far. Starting the year unranked, she has climbed to position No. 634. At the end of May, amidst a streak of ten consecutive match victories, she clinched two titles on the ITF circuit. The Czech Talent of the Year 2023 award winner triumphed in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and Bol, Croatia, adding to her earlier season victory at her first ITF title in Monastir, Tunisia.
At the 2024 junior French Open, she finished runner-up to compatriot Tereza Valentova and also reached the girls’ doubles semifinals in Paris. Reflecting on her Grand Slam success, Samson remarked: “My best result in the juniors so far. Although I wasn’t always happy with my tennis and finished the tournament exhausted, I’m really happy with the result. Showed my fighting spirit through the whole week.”
A hometown win on her Hologic WTA Tour debut ????
Czech 16-year-old Laura Samson defeats qualifier Wurth to advance in Prague!#LPO2024 pic.twitter.com/TaK6Qub004
— wta (@WTA) July 22, 2024
Continuing to build on her successes, Samson has now become the first player born in 2008 to win a main-draw match at a WTA tournament. As a wildcard, she defeated Croatian world No. 461 Tara Wurth 6-0 6-2 in the first round of her home tournament, the Livesport Prague Open.
An interesting fact is that earlier this year Samson changed her surname to a gender-neutral form to distinguish herself from another WTA player, Russian Liudmila Samsonova, with whom she was often confused due to the shared short name L. Samsonova. The reason for the change was purely practical, as Laura explained: “I talked about it with her and she sometimes thought that she was playing according to the schedule, but it was me. I would have liked the ending, but unfortunately it turned out like this.”
Samson’s list of sponsors includes Nike and Babolat, underscoring her rising profile in the world of tennis and her marketing potential.
