The dust has barely settled after the 2022 Miami Open, but we’re already into the clay-court season. One of the first WTA tournaments will take place in Bogota, where third seed Rebecca Peterson plays Colombian wild card, Maria Herazo Gonzalez, in her opening match. Who do you think will prevail? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Bogota Day 1 Predictions
Tatjana Maria vs Maria Carle
Head-to-head: First meeting
Who will prevail in the matchup of qualifiers? Tatjana Maria is coming back from a pregnancy hiatus and ever since the beginning of the season, she’s been in very good form, winning a 60K ITF in Rome. The German’s slice and dice game can work on clay as she’s proven many times before and of the two, she had the more impressive qualifying campaign, defeating the in-form Barbara Gatica. This could very well be one of the highlights of the round as the 22-year-old Maria Carle is also on the rise and should produce tennis far beyond her spot in the rankings. The German’s experience (especially at this level) could end up being a huge asset.
Prediction: Maria in 3
Renata Zarazua vs Miriam Bjorklund
Head-to-head: First meeting
Renata Zarazua is yet to win a match this year, ranging from qualifying for WTA 1000s to 60K ITFs. The Mexican is facing Miriam Bjorklund in what is a decent opportunity to break that streak, but also not an easy challenge at all. The Swede has recently lost in qualifying for both Doha and Miami, but at least had good runs at the Australian Open and at a 25K in Porto this year, giving her a lot more match practice and confidence than Zarazua had. That gives her the edge.
Prediction: Bjorklund in 3
Rebecca Peterson vs Maria Herazo Gonzalez
Head-to-head: First meeting
25-year-old Maria Herazo Gonzalez has looked competitive as a wild card in Bogota before, beating Tereza Martincova and getting Beatriz Haddad Maia to a deciding set tie-break. The Colombian has been far from impressive on the ITF circuit recently, though, and her ability to keep another match against a top 100 opponent close remains uncertain. It might take a moment for Rebecca Peterson to shake off the rust (hasn’t played since February), but the Swede was playing so well when we saw her early in the season (8-4 win/loss record) that she should still handle this quite comfortably.
Prediction: Peterson in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
