We have reached the quarterfinal round at the WTA Grand Prix Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat and despite Garbine Muguruza’s exit in the last round, it is still an interesting lineup of matches. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will go to the final four? Let us know in the comments!
WTA Rabat Quarterfinals Predictions
Astra Sharma vs Claire Liu
Head-to-head: Liu 2-0 Sharma
Sharma making the quarterfinals here is a bit of a surprise as she withdrew from a match at an ITF last week. The Australian had to come back from a set down against both Marcela Zacarias and Petra Marcinko, spending almost four and a half hours on court over her first two rounds. Liu is likely one of the biggest title favorites at this point, showing this year that she can replicate her green clay success on European clay as well. The 21-year-old is 11-2 on the surface this year, currently carrying a seven-match winning streak after she got her first WTA title last week in Paris. The American did have to save a match point against Mayar Sherif in her last match but Liu is still the favorite for me here.
Prediction: Liu in 2
Martina Trevisan vs Arantxa Rus
Head-to-head: Trevisan 2-2 Rus
Trevisan has had a mediocre season coming into Rabat but the Italian really impressed here, coming back from a set down against World No. 10 Garbine Muguruza in the second round. This was Trevisan’s second-ever Top 10 win, so she is sure to come into this quarterfinal with confidence. Rus has struggled for most of the year, looking good only at the 25k level when she won the ITF in Santa Margherita Di Pula. Outside of that, the 31-year-old has struggled to win back-to-back matches in 2022. This is her first WTA quarterfinal this season, taking advantage of a pretty soft draw with wins over Lulu Sun and Dalma Galfi. Trevisan’s form should make her the favorite, it is tough to trust Rus in matches like this with what she has shown this year.
Prediction: Trevisan in 2
Nuria Parrizas Diaz vs Lucia Bronzetti
Head-to-head: Parrizas Diaz 2-2 Bronzetti
Parrizas-Diaz has interestingly been better on hard than clay this season, reaching the semifinals of Monterrey while failing to win back-to-back matches on the red dirt until this week. Bronzetti has performed quite well this season with a 22-10 record, going 8-2 on clay. The Italian won a 60k in Chiasso while only losing to Petra Martic and Maria Camila Osorio Serrano this clay season. The head-to-head is tied up with them winning one each on clay as well. The Spaniard won their last meeting in Grado in 2021. This is pretty much a coin flip for me but I will take Bronzetti here, as she has only lost to players better than Parrizas-Diaz on clay so far.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 3
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Anna Bondar
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tomljanovic may have mostly struggled this year, going 11-12 in 2022 and reaching only one quarterfinal before this week. The Australian has a stellar record in Rabat, reaching a semifinal and final in her previous two appearances in Morocco. This time, she beat Irene Burillo Escorihuela and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to reach the final eight. Bondar has done very well on clay this season with a 10-4 record. In Rabat, the Hungarian struggled to be No. 261 Cristiana Ferrando but followed it up with a straight-set win over Kristina Kucova. We are pitting very impressive past performance at this tournament against solid clay form. I trust Tomljanovic here as she is more experienced on the main tour and her record in Rabat is undeniable.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
