Martina Trevisan and Claire Liu will take on each other in the final of the Rabat Open. Earlier, both players reached the last round after getting through their respective semi-finals in contrasting fashions on Friday. Liu received a walkover from the last seed remaining in the draw, fifth seed Anna Bondar while Trevisan ousted Lucia Bronzetti.
The Italian derby between Trevisan and Bronzetti saw the latter clinch a straight-sets, 6-3, 6-3 win in an hour and 29 minutes. Both players put in a good percentage of their first serves – 78% for Trevisan and 77% for Bronzetti.
However, where the former won 76% of her first-serve points, the latter could manage to win only 55%. In terms of second-serve points won, it was Bronzetti who fared better, winning 50% of her second-serve points to her opponent’s 36%.
However, Trevisan dropped her serve just once across the match while converting four breaks of serve on her compatriot’s serve. Trevisan finished with 62 points to Bronzetti’s 49 for the match.
Rabat Open: Seeds waylaid in the last-eight
Earlier, in the quarter-finals that were played on Thursday, the 28-year-old Trevisan ousted seventh seed Arantxa Rus, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Bronzetti, meanwhile, got the better of third seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5). Liu defeated Astra Sharma, 6-4, 6-1. Lastly, Bondar advanced to the semi-finals after her opponent, second seed, Ajla Tomljanovic retired with an injury while trailing 1-5 in the first set.
Entering the Rabat Open final, not much separates the two players, both of whom are contesting the first WTA final of their careers. Martina Trevisan’s ranked 85th in the world while Claire Liu’s ranked 92nd. Earlier this year, in April, the 21-year-old Liu attained a career-high of no. 85 in the world. The Italian’s career-high ranking came in September 2021, when she peaked in the 66th place.
