Only eight women remain at the WTA 250 in Rabat. Defending champion Lucia Bronzetti faces her toughest hurdle against rising American Peyton Stearns in the standout match of the day. Who will reach the semifinal?
WTA Rabat Quarterfinal Predictions
Viktoriya Tomova vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: first meeting
Viktoriya Tomova has impressed this week, dropping a combined nine games in two matches. Laura Siegemund, meanwhile, has accounted for wins over Anna Blinkova and Camila Osorio. She requested a physio midway through the second set while playing the Colombian for an apparent shoulder/neck injury. It’s unclear if this will have any lingering effect in her next match, but the German has taken quite a few of these in recent matches, and it was a real momentum killer for Osorio. With that said, Siegemund’s serve has looked shaky. She has faced 30 break points in two matches. Such profligacy won’t go unpunished against the more disciplined Tomova.
Prediction: Tomova in 3
Mayar Sherif vs Sara Sorribes Tormo
Head-to-head: first meeting
Mayar Sherif has carried her momentum from Parma 125K (runner-up) to Rabat. Victory over Maria Carle on Wednesday was her 13th from 19 clay-court matches this season. Sorribes Tormo is not far off from hitting double-digit wins on the dirt. She picked up her eighth win on the surface by beating former French Open semifinalist Nadia Podoroska in three sets. Sherif and Sara Sorribes Tormo are known for their remarkable stamina and work rate on clay. This will be an endurance test that could go either way.
Prediction: Sorribes Tormo in 3
Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Elisabetta Cocciaretto is yet to drop a set this week. But she couldn’t have asked for a kinder draw. A win over home wild card Yasmine Kabbaj (ranked 566th) and Zhuoxuan Bai, who before this week had not won a single tour-level match on clay, is not a measure of her peak level.
Kamilla Rakhimova will contest her second quarterfinal in as many weeks and a first at the Tour level since early April. She has benefitted from two retirement wins. Her first-round opponent, Taylor Townsend, retired after only two games, while Camila Rosatello threw in the towel while trailing 0-4 in the last 16. The Russian has had the least amount of court time of any player to reach the Rabat quarterfinal. Still, this wouldn’t be a major drawback if she demonstrated the same level of competitiveness as in Parma this past week.
Prediction: Rakhimova in 3
Lucia Bronzetti vs Peyton Stearns
Head-to-head: first meeting
Lucia Bronzetti’s progress into the last eight has been so smooth. She began her title defense with a routine 6-1 6-0 win over home wild card Malak El Allami. In the second round, she outwitted Martina Trevisan for the loss of three games. Peyton Stearns has been equally impressive, albeit on a more testing route to reach the quarterfinal. She recovered from a set down to beat Aleksandra Krunic before she powered past Xiyu Wang 6-3 6-1. Bronzetti has barely been tested this week, and Stearns’ forehand has been on fire. It’s the American’s tool of choice in her kit. When it is working, she’s tough to stop. Expect that shot to hurt Bronzetti.
Prediction: Stearns in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
