Defending champion Leylah Fernandez and Camila Osorio will square off for the Abierto GNP Seguros title on Sunday after they both won straight-sets semifinals on Saturday night in Monterrey.
No.5 seed Osorio moved into her third career Hologic WTA Tour singles final, all of which have come in the last 12 months, after beating Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-4, 6-4 to reach the championship match.
Osorio of Colombia prevailed over 6th-seeded Parrizas Diaz of Spain in an hour and 29 minutes to advance. Osorio is a win away from her second career title, to go alongside her triumph on home soil in Bogota last year. Osorio also finished as runner-up in Tenerife last year.
Osorio was coming off of a difficult late-night win over No.1 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the quarterfinals, but she was unbothered as she improved to 2-0 against Parrizas Diaz, who was playing in her first tour-level semifinal. Osorio also beat Parrizas Diaz in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying last year.
Into her third WTA final!
— wta (@WTA) March 6, 2022
🇨🇴 @CamiOsorioTenis will go for the title in Monterrey 🏆 pic.twitter.com/OmzZxUviT9
Currently ranked at a career-high World No.44, 20-year-old Osorio is projected to hit a new peak ranking inside the Top 40 on Monday.
Parrizas Diaz, ranked World No.51, is also projected to hit a new career-high ranking next week inside the Top 45 after posting her career-best tour-level result at age 30.
After getting broken in the opening game of the clash, Osorio steered her way back into the first set, and she grabbed the one-set lead by converting her sixth break point of a protracted 5-4 game. The pair had 11 winners apiece in the first set, but Parrizas Diaz had four more unforced errors than Osorio during that timeframe.
The first four games of the second set went against serve, but Osorio moved ahead by a break for the first time in that set after solid returns gave her a 5-3 lead. Osorio was unable to serve out the match as Parrizas Diaz pulled back on serve at 5-4, but the Colombian clinched the victory with another break, using her deft drop shot skills to set up a winning pass on match point.
Taking care of business 💼
— wta (@WTA) March 6, 2022
Dominant performance by the defending champ 🇨🇦@leylahfernandez, defeating Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-4!#AbiertoGNPSeguros pic.twitter.com/rBwy00SSr7
No.2 seed Fernandez of Canada followed Osorio into the final, easing past Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and 12 minutes. Defending champion Fernandez has won her last nine matches at the event and is 11-1 overall at the Abierto GNP Seguros.
Highlights: Fernandez def. Haddad Maia
World No.21 Fernandez is also up to an undefeated 4-0 in tour-level semifinals in her career, as she seeks to claim her second Hologic WTA Tour singles title.
Fernandez excels on Mexican soil, where she has reached three of her four finals. Along with her Monterrey runs, Fernandez finished as runner-up to Heather Watson at 2020 Acapulco. Her other final, of course, was her breakthrough run to the US Open final last year.
"I just enjoy playing tennis in front of fans who love the sport as much as I do," Fernandez said after the match. "They cheer me on, they cheer my opponents on, in tough moments the energy on court is so positive.
"I can't complain at all when I'm in Mexico. My time here has always been amazing, I've always had fun, I have fond memories. I can't wait to play more matches here in Mexico, hopefully over the next couple of years."
Fernandez cruised through the first set without facing a break point. Fernandez had a matching five winners and five unforced errors in the opener, while Haddad Maia’s four winners were overwhelmed by 14 unforced errors.
Haddad Maia kept the second set closer, earning her only break point of the day at 1-0 before Fernandez held serve. In the end, though, Fernandez fired a rally forehand winner to break for a 2-1 lead, which proved to be crucial. The 19-year-old Canadian held on from there, using her lefty forehand to power through the rest of the match.
Head to Head
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This will be the first professional meeting between Osorio and Fernandez. However, they met three times in juniors, each time deep in junior Grand Slam events. Fernandez won their matches at junior Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, while Osorio notched a win at the 2018 junior US Open.
