No.2 seed Tatjana Maria of Germany successfully defended her Copa Colsanitas title, capturing the crown for the second straight year with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over unseeded American Peyton Stearns in Sunday’s final.
Maria completed her title defense by defeating first-time WTA finalist Stearns in just over two hours. Maria becomes just the second player so far this season to defend a singles title, along with World No.1 Iga Swiatek at Doha.
Words from the winner:
*looks up properties on sale in Bogotá* 😜@Maria_Tatjana | #CopaColsanitas pic.twitter.com/I2vLQMqblK
— wta (@WTA) April 9, 2023
Maria's running tallies: Maria is the fourth woman to win multiple Bogota titles, joining Paola Suarez (1998 and 2001), Fabiola Zuluaga (1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004) and Lourdes Dominguez Lino (2006 and 2011). Maria and Zuluaga are the only players to win consecutive Bogota titles.
Last year's surprise Wimbledon semifinalist Maria has dominated the clay of Bogota over the past two seasons, where she has won 12 matches in a row, including 10 straight main-draw victories, plus the two qualifying matches she won last year to reach the 2022 main draw.
Maria is now 3-0 in Hologic WTA Tour singles finals. She won her first title on the grass courts of Mallorca in 2018.
The @Maria_Tatjana fan club is out in Bogotá again 🤗🥳#CopaColsanitas pic.twitter.com/nIxzglRRQ2
— wta (@WTA) April 9, 2023
Surging Stearns: Despite the loss, the World No.116 Stearns is projected to make her Top 100 debut in Monday's new rankings, just one year after she won the NCAA singles title for the University of Texas.
Key moments: Maria led by a set and a break at 6-3, 2-1 before a Stearns backhand passing winner gave the American her first break of the day to level at 2-2.
Serving down 3-2 in the second set, Maria led 40-0 in that game, but a bold rally which peaked with a no-look lob by Stearns gave the 21-year-old American that point. Stearns went on to break for 4-2, then rolled through the rest of the second set.
No-look, so casual 🚶♀️@peyton_stearns | #CopaColsanitas pic.twitter.com/iqhGe4twm8
— wta (@WTA) April 9, 2023
But Maria regrouped in the third set, stopping Stearns’ six-game winning streak with a hold for 1-1. Three games later, Maria took command with a bevy of winners in the forecourt to break for 3-2.
Maria served strongly for the rest of the match, winning 84 percent of her first-service points in the third set. Maria converted her second championship point with one last deft drop shot to retain her Copa Colsanitas title.
🏆 ¡Tenemos campeonas! 🏆
— Copa Colsanitas (@CopaColsanitas_) April 9, 2023
Irina Khromacheva e Iryna Shymanovich se quedan con el título de dobles tras vencer a Oksana Kalashnikova 🇬🇪 y Katarzyna Piter 🇵🇱 por 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 #CopaColsanitas pic.twitter.com/wEv28RXyK5
Saturday night doubles: Irina Khromacheva and Iryna Shymanovich won a late-night doubles final on Saturday, defeating Oksana Kalashnikova and Katarzyna Piter 6-1, 3-6, [10-6] to clinch the Copa Colsanitas doubles title.
At the end of a long day which featured seven hours of rain delays during the earlier singles semifinals, Khromacheva and Shymanovich prevailed in 1 hour and 11 minutes, finally triumphing at 11:30 p.m. local time.
This week marks Shymanovich's first WTA title. Khromacheva has won both of her two WTA doubles titles in Bogota, previously taking the Copa Colsanitas title alongside Dalila Jakupovic in 2018.