Janice Tjen Meets Liudmila Samsonova in the First Round of the 2026 Toronto Open

JAKARTA - Janice Tjen will face Russian tennis player Liudmila Samsonova in the first round of the 2026 WTA 1000 Toronto Open. This is certainly a tough test for Janice, who has not found his best performance in major events.

The clash between Janice against Samsonova will take place at Court 1, Toronto, Canada, on Monday local time or Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 01.50 am WIB. The duel can be faster or delayed, depending on the results of the previous match on the same court.

On paper, Samsonova is clearly the favorite even though both of them are not seeded in this hard court tournament. The prediction refers to the two previous meetings which were all won by Samsonova in two sets.

Samsonova's dominance over Janice in the competitive arena began in the 16th round of the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open in February. At that time, Samsonova, who was the fifth seed, won 6-2 and 6-2 in a match lasting one hour and 12 minutes.

Janice also couldn't give a fierce fight in their second clash in the second round of the 2026 Madrid Open. The 27-year-old won the match 6-2 and 6-1 in just one hour and nine minutes.

In addition to having to face the challenge in the first round against Samsonova, Janice is also on an easy draw path. If he manages to get through the first round, he will meet the 22nd seed, Barbora Krejcikova, in the second round.

Second seed Elena Rybakina and former world number one Naomi Osaka are also in the bottom half of the draw with Janice. Other big names on the line are Alex Eala, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Belinda Bencic, and Iva Jovic.

With its status as one of the big tournaments, the Toronto Open is crowded with many top world tennis players. World number one and first seed, Aryna Sabalenka, third seed Jessica Pegula, Iga Swiatek are also in this tournament.

The 2026 Toronto Open will not be attended by the defending champion, Victoria Mboko, because she is still struggling with the champion's injury. Meanwhile, the 2026 Wimbledon champion, Linda Noskova, is back in action for the first time since climbing to the highest podium at the All England Club.