Bogota Open 2023: Maria vs Stearns Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Bogota Open final match featuring Tatjana Maria vs Peyton Stearns on Sunday, April 9, 2023.

Maria vs Stearns Match Preview

Defending Copa Colsanitas champion Tatjana Maria will square off against first-time WTA finalist Peyton Stearns of the USA. Who will be crowned champion of the 2023 Bogota Open?

Tatjana Maria is back into another final at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, beating talented Briton Francesca Jones 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal, in a match that was heavily impacted by the outpouring rain. Her opponent Peyton Stearns came through a nailbiter in her own rain-interrupted match, but for Maria, the chance to add to her trophy collection at 35 after two maternity leaves is a huge incentive. Will Maria win her second successive Bogota Open championship?

Peyton Stearns, meanwhile, advanced into her first WTA final by beating Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Rakhimova was 4-3 up when the rains hit Bogota again, this time lasting for over three hours. She was able to nudge ahead and clinch the first set, but Stearns had received some pep talk and was clearly the better player on resumption, tallying 27 winners to Rakhimova’s 13. Can she put the brakes on Tatjana Maria’s nine-match winning streak at the Bogota Open?

Maria vs Stearns Prediction and Pick

Tatjana Maria and Peyton Stearns have not clashed on the WTA Tour, with this Bogota Open final being their first official meeting. Maria is now 9-0 in her last nine main draw matches at the Copa Colsanitas. She’s been the player to watch throughout the week as she sliced her way into the final for the second year in a row. Waiting on the other side of the net is American rising star Peyton Stearns who is guaranteed to break the top 100 after a breakthrough run to her first WTA final in Bogota. Stearns doesn’t serve with enormous power, but her she can whip her forehand at a frightening pace at times. It was the shot that completely changed the course of the match against Rakhimova. But she’ll have a hard time taking the unorthodox Tatjana Maria. It’s incredibly difficult, especially for someone so young and inexperienced to anticipate Maria’s next shot which is why she has sliced out her opponents to insanity throughout the week. You kind of know what shot she will hit, but she is so unpredictable to read especially the length of her slice. If Stearns can keep her nerves in check and control her shots, she has a chance. But Maria just about has the edge.