The second consecutive WTA event in Charleston, South Carolina, has reached the semifinal round. Who will move on to Sunday’s final? The four players remaining have just one combined WTA titles, giving each player plenty to fight for. The semifinal draw is not one many would have predicted, with the tournament’s top seed Ons Jabeur the only seeded player to make the final four. Let’s look at the matches. Jabeur is playing Danka Kovinic in a rematch of last week’s semifinal.
WTA Charleston Semifinal Predictions
Ons Jabeur vs Danka Kovinic
Head-to-head: 1-1
This match is a rematch of the semifinal just last week at the same venue, won convincingly 6-3 6-2 by Kovinic. On paper, Jabeur is the favorite as the top seed, hungry in search of her first career WTA title, sitting at her career-high ranking of 27, almost 40 spots above Kovinic. Kovinic has found something special in her two weeks in Charleston, and he play makes her look like the player to beat. She has wins over Petra Kvitova, Yulia Putintseva, Shelby Rogers, and Jabeur all over the last two weeks. She comes into the match dropping just one set in her three matches here, while Jabeur has yet to drop a set.
Jabeur has been playing good tennis this year, clay historically has not been her best surface. It is her second consecutive semifinal, but she has benefitted from easier draws both weeks. Kovinic has beaten each of her opponents fairly convincingly in Charleston and does not appear to be slowing down after her second straight long week. Kovinic had no trouble with Jabeur last week, and based on her play this week, it’s hard to see anything changing and she will win again, though the match will be more competitive.
Prediction: Kovinic in 3
Astra Sharma vs Maria Camila Osorio Serrano
Osorio Serrano has made the most of her opportunity this week by reaching her second WTA semifinal in her career and in consecutive tournaments. The 19-year-old is ranked outside of the world’s top-100 and was the last player to gain entry into the draw. Last week she shockingly captured the title in Bogota in dominant fashion, not dropping a set until the final. Sharma is also ranked outside the top-100 and has a 5-6 record in 2021, but just one of those wins has come against a player ranked inside the top-100.
Both players are strong on clay and this will be a good, back-and-forth battle. Neither player has much experience at this stage, so it will truly be anyone’s match. Osorio Serrano will benefit from only playing one set in her quarterfinal due to a retirement and will have fresh legs after two long matches. Form is massive in tennis, and as in the first match, Osorio Serrano has been in far better form coming in, and her play this week indicates she has what it takes to make it to another final.
Prediction: Osorio Serrano in 2
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