Madison Keys saw her 2026 Mubadala DC Open run end early on Monday, as Liudmila Samsonova rallied from a set down to stun the No. 6 seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Washington, DC.
Keys controlled the opener. After falling behind 3-2, she rattled off four consecutive games to pocket the first set. However, Samsonova subsequently steadied.
Liudmila Samsonova Launches 3rd-Set Comeback to Oust Madison Keys
The 27-year-old found her range in the second set and pushed the match to a decider. Still, Keys appeared in control, racing to a 4-2 lead in the third without dropping a point on serve.
Then consecutive double faults opened the door.
Samsonova clawed back on her fourth break chance of that game to pull within 4-3. From there, she seized the momentum.
The 2022 champion broke once more and sealed the win in two hours and 24 minutes. It was just her second three-set victory in 12 attempts this season. It also ended a five-match skid against Keys dating back to 2021.
"I didn't expect to be here today, honestly," Samsonova said after her win. "I was just trying to be positive and (fight) until the end."
Samsonova now advances to face the winner of Wang Xinyu and Julieta Pareja.
