It’s semifinal day in Tenerife as an unpredictable week approaches its conclusion. The inaugural WTA Tenerife Open has seen a fair share of upsets, are there a couple more remaining? A pair of young challengers will be out to bring down more experienced opponents on what should be an entertaining day of tennis. But who will advance to Sunday’s final?
WTA Tenerife Semifinal Predictions
Ann Li vs Alize Cornet
Head-to-head: Li 1-1 Cornet
Ann Li and Alize Cornet have met on two previous occasions this year. Li prevailed 6-2 7-6 at the Australian Open, more recently Cornet triumphed 6-7 6-0 6-4 in Chicago. Their third meeting will be their most important with a spot in the Tenerife final up for grabs.
Li arrived in Tenerife having not won back-to-back tour level matches since Monterrey in March. The 21-year-old is showing promising signs this week. It all started with a 2-6 6-4 6-1 victory over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz before collecting a pair of straight set wins. 6-4 6-2 over Varvara Gracheva and 7-5 7-5 against Irina-Camelia Begu. The opportunity to compete in a maiden tour level final is on the line for the American. Li reached her first tour level final at the start of the year in Melbourne, however that match never went ahead due to scheduling issues.
Cornet, meanwhile, has made the most of a favourable draw this week. The experienced Frenchwoman kick-started her campaign with a 6-1 6-2 win against Stefanie Voegele before advancing via retirement against Xinyu Wang as she led 6-1 6-7 4-1. Cornet secured her spot in her third semifinal of the season with a 6-3 6-3 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
This is a fairly even match-up, not much to split the pair. Cornet has more experience and greater variety to her game. Li has superior ball striking from the back of the court and is probably too strong for Cornet if she is able to consistently execute her game. The American is playing well enough this week to suggest she has a good chance here.
Prediction: Li in 3
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Camila Giorgi vs Camila Osorio
Head-to-head: first meeting
Camila Giorgi only just snuck through her opening round match against Aliona Bolsova where she prevailed 7-6 3-6 6-4 to snap a four-match losing streak dating back to her Rogers Cup triumph. The Italian has improved significantly over her last couple of matches as she beat Danka Kovinic 6-1 6-2 and Arantxa Rus 6-1 6-1 to reach her third semifinal of the season.
Camila Osorio entered Tenerife at a career high ranking of #63. The 19-year-old will rise even further having now reached her fourth semifinal of the season. The Colombian secured an improbable victory over the top seeded Elina Svitolina in the opening round, a huge upset victory from a set and a break down. The last couple of matches were more straightforward for Osorio, a 6-4 6-2 win against Mayar Sherif, followed by a 7-5 6-1 victory over Saisai Zheng.
Osorio is a feisty competitor, a dangerous counterpuncher. However, Giorgi is surely the better player. It seems safe to assume Giorgi will be able to continue her run in Tenerife given how dominant she looked in her last couple of matches. Giorgi is always tough to stop when she is on a roll.
Prediction: Giorgi in 2
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