Czechs Samson and Havlíčková in doubles final!

Both finals at this year’s Livesport Prague Open will feature Czech players. In the battle for a place in the doubles final, TK Sparta Prague players Laura Samson and Lucie Havlíčková dominated Britain’s Alicia Barnett and France’s Elixane Lechemia 6–4, 6–2 and will play for the trophy in their first tournament playing together!

"Playing in Czechia in front of so many people is amazing. We had all the support today," started Laura Samson, "reaching the final is definitely a huge success. We didn’t even know if we’d make it here – we’re only playing together for the first time."

Alicia Barnett and Elixane Lechemia started strong, leading 3–1 in the first set and then 3–2 with 40–0 on return. But Lucie Havlíčková held her serve in the crucial sixth game and from that point onwards, the Czech duo took total control of the centre court in Prague.

"That game was definitely one of the turning points of the match. Things could’ve gotten really complicated for us," Havlíčková admitted, "but we handled it well, I served, and Laura helped me out. After that, the match shifted in our favour."

Havlíčková, who is three years older than doubles partner Samson, especially appreciated her partner's activity at the net. "Her going for it at the net suits my fast play from the back,” she said, “I think it’s great that Laura’s not afraid to go forward and finish exchanges," she added, praising her teammate.

17-year-old Samson is also putting to use the valuable experience she gained during her semifinal run at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, where she partnered with Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová.

"Markéta talked to me a lot, even during matches. It definitely helped my doubles play and boosted my confidence. After all, we made it far," the Czech teenager recalled gratefully.

One year on from her sensational Livesport Prague Open singles semifinal run, Samson has gone one step further and is eyeing the crown: "I joke that I defended my semifinal, but in doubles this time. At least something’s working out. Actually, I’ve already improved on that result!" she said with a smile.

The Czech duo will face the second-seeded Ukrainian-Japanese pair Nadiia Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya in Saturday’s final.

Photo: Livesport Prague Open / Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)

Author: eSports

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