COLOMBIAN teenager Maria Camila Osorio Serrano kicks off our WTA Tour Players to Watch count for 2022, after the 19-year-old broke through for her maiden title his year. Recording a 35-17 win-loss record, Osorio Serrano reached a career-high 53rd, and was 55th by year’s end.

Maria Camila Osorio Serrano

Height: 162cm

Weight: -

DOB: 22-12-2001

Five years ago aged 14, Osorio Serrano began her WTA Tour career, rising from 1249th inside the Top 1000 by 2017. She rose as high as 477th in the world by 2018, and made huge strides inside the Top 200 in 2019. Unfortunately amidst the global pandemic, 2020 saw the teenager slip back a touch, though 2021 proved to be a big year. Osorio Serrano made her move into the Top 100 and remained there to be on the verge of cracking the Top 50.

MAIDEN TITLE

Osorio Serrano’s maiden WTA Tour title came in her home nation at Bogota. Taking to the clay courts for the Copa Colsanitas the wildcard cruised through to the final ranked 180th in the world, having beaten a number of quality opponents along the way. A Round of 16 win over Czech seventh seed Tereza Martincova and then quarter finals in over Stefanie Voegele were impressive, but the Colombian saved her best until last.

The 19-year-old came from a set down against fifth seed Slovenian Tamara Zidansek take out the WTA 250 event in three sets. Osorio Serrano won 5-7 6-3 6-4 to move up 45 spots to 135th in the world. The tournament marked the start of some great form for the teenager, winning 13 out of 14 matches, reaching the semi-finals at two more WTA 250 events in Charleston and Belgrade where she claimed the biggest win of her career over world number 43 Shuai Zhang.

GRAND SLAM UPSET

Still ranked 94th in the world by the time Wimbledon rolled around, Osorio Serrano was forced to go through qualifying. She did just that, reaching the main draw, and facing Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya in the Round of 128. Losing the first set 1-6, she produced a remarkable second set, winning 6-0 before closing out the match in three sets, 1-6 6-0 6-4.

A stunning upset over 32nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova marked a new career-high, defeating her opponent 7-5 6-2, before running into the second seed Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. She went down 6-0 6-3 in the final, and it triggered the first of four straight losses, including two to Swiss talent Viktorija Golubic over the next month.

FORM SLUMP THEN LATE RISE

Just one in in eight games had the 19-year-old back out to 77th in the world after her only victory came in the first round of the US Open. Only winning one game against Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the Round of 64, Osorio Serrano would not win again until her last tournament, the Tenerife Ladies Open.

There, Osorio Serrano stunned sixth seed Elina Svitolina in the opening round, ith the world number six the raging favourite. The Colombian fought back from a set down to win 5-7 6-3 6-2, and went on to win eight consecutive sets and reach the final. Along the way she knocked off fourth seed and world number 36 Camila Giorgi before going down to American Ann Li, 6-1 6-4.

WHY IS SHE ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022?

In 2021, Osorio Serrano achieved her first WTA Tour title, entered the Top 100 for the first time and on against not only multiple Top 50 players, but a Top 10 talent in Svitolina. The win came in the final tournament of the year, and on hard court too. This coupled with the fact she reached the furtherest in a Grand Slam on grass, and won on clay, shows the talented teen can get the job done across multiple surfaces.