The 2024 Copa Colsantias Zurich in Bogota has reached the quarterfinal stage. A battle of former and current champions headlines Friday’s Order of Play, which also features three more intriguing matchups. So, who will reach the WTA Bogota semifinal?
WTA Bogota Quarterfinal Predictions
Irina Bara vs Sara Errani
Head-to-head: Bara 1-1 Errani
Bara and Errani have split their two clay-court meetings before this. The Italian veteran defeated Bara in a match at this event five years ago. However, the Romanian won their most recent clash in Budapest in 2021. Additionally, both players have weathered the storm to reach the quarterfinal stage this week with three-hour-plus second-round victories. Errani’s experience has helped her clutch it out even while not playing so well. But Bara has an equal shot of winning this match, having demonstrated a similar level of resilience.
Prediction: Bara in 3
Cristina Bucsa vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Head-to-head: Bucsa 1-1 Rakhimova
Bucsa and Rakhimova played a marathon match at Wimbledon last summer (won by Bucsa). The 26-year-old Spaniard has not dropped a set in two matches in Bogota. Rakhimova, meanwhile, required three sets in each of her wins over the unranked Valentina Mediorreal Arias and world #103 Renata Zarazua. The Russian has made the semifinal in the past two seasons at this tournament. But on the balance of play this week, Bucsa is playing supreme tennis and should be treated as the clear-cut favorite.
Prediction: Bucsa in 2
Marie Bouzkova vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: Bouzkova 2-0 Siegemund
The stoic and stubborn Siegemund doesn’t know when she is beaten. Trailing the in-form Francesca Jones 6-7, 1-3, the world #89 found her footing to turn the match around and dig out an unlikely win. Marie Bouzkova, for her part, overcame a late second-set wobble to ease past Hailey Baptiste in straight sets. The top seed becomes the first Czech to reach the last eight at the WTA Bogota. Sigemund’s recovery will be far from ideal, with a rain interruption affecting the day’s schedule (she completed her match past midnight). The durable and consistent Bouzkova should preserve her unbeaten record in the series.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
Tatjana Maria vs Camila Osorio
Head-to-head: Maria 1-0 Osorio
Tatjana Maria remains on course for an unprecedented hat-trick in Bogota. On paper, she has a difficult path to achieve that. Her first acid test at this year’s tournament will be Colombia’s very own Camila Osorio. The 22-year-old endured a sticky patch coming to her home tournament, tallying just two main draw wins all season.
Although Maria fared marginally better, it was not until she arrived in Bogota that she recorded back-to-back wins in a WTA event this season. The German was outplayed for vast patches in the second round against the talented Julia Riera, who might have sent her packing but for a lengthy rain interruption and then a power outage, which put a damper on her rhythm. Osorio has regained some of her lost confidence and could give the defending champion a tough time.
Prediction: Osorio in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
