FOUR WTA Tour players yet to lift a Tour trophy will compete for the respective crowns in Charleston and Bogota. Two of those players will break their drought, knocking out the remaining title winners and booking their places in the WTA finals. Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova will face off in the Charleston final, while Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek and Colombia’s Maria Camila Osorio Serrano lock horns in the latter’s home nation at Bogota.

Looking at the Volvo Car Open, 15th seed Kudermetova took out unseeded Spaniard Paula Badosa in straight sets. The Russian talent won 6-3 6-3 in 90 minutes against the 71st ranked player who knocked out world number one Ash Barty in the quarter finals. Having never won a title and being the highest ranked player remaining at either tournament, the Russian will head into the final against Kovinic as warm favourite.

Kovinic has earned her spot in the final by toppling 12th seed Ons Jabeur in straight sets herself, 12 minutes quicker than Kudermetova’s win, in one hour and 18 minutes. The top ranked Montenegro player won 6-3 6-2 against her Tunisian opponent to also make the final, which will be the third of her career after two runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2016. Being a clay court specialist, Kovinic will prove stiff competition in the decider.

The lower ranked clash between the 93rd ranked Zidansek and 180th ranked Osorio Serrano will be a huge chance for an underrated talent to bring home the trophy, Osorio Serrano will have the home crowd on her side, and is in ripping form after dismantling Harmony Tan, 6-1 6-2 in 85m minutes. It was an impressive win from the Colombian who will contest her first WTA Tour final at just 19 years old as a former world number one junior.

Zidansek also made her way through to the final with a 6-3 7-5 win over Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova in 89 minutes. The fifth seed only has the one final – in Nurnberg, 2019 – and will be eyeing off a maiden title against an inexperienced opponent. Still only 23-years-old herself, Zidansek is just inside the Top 100 at 93rd, and will be hoping a title win can kick-start her rise up the rankings past her career-high of 56 in the world.

VOLVO CAR OPEN SEMI-FINALS RESULTS:

Danka Kovinic (ME) defeated [12] Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-3 6-2
[15] Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) defeated Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-3 6-3

COPA COLSANITAS SEMI-FINALS:

Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (COL) defeated Harmony Tan (FRA) 6-1 6-2
[5] Tamara Zidansek (SLO) defeated Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 6-3 7-5

Picture credit: Copa Colsanitas