BOGOTÁ, Colombia -- No.2 seed Magda Linette continued her quest for a maiden WTA singles title, as the Polish player dispatched Colombian wild card Maria Herazo Gonzalez, 6-2, 6-1, on Friday, to move into the quarterfinals of the Claro Open Colsanitas.
Linette led 6-2, 3-1 on Thursday before more rain moved through the area, postponing the conclusion of the match one day later. But the second seed needed only 10 more minutes on Friday to claim the win over the 21-year-old Colombian. Linette ended the match with 16 winners and 14 unforced errors, good enough to move through in one hour and nine minutes of play.
Linette thus completes the quarterfinal lineup, which should be contested later on Friday, barring any further weather delays. Linette will take on Dalila Jakupovic in the final eight, after the Slovene had an easy win over Bulgarian qualifier Elitsa Kostova earlier in the day, triumphing 6-2, 6-2.
.@MagdaLinette breaks to go 4-1 up in the second set! #CopaWTABogotá pic.twitter.com/LhR34ZERfE
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2018
On Thursday, Linette used her silky, crafty game to move through to an early one-set lead. The Pole raced to a two-break advantage when she broke the Colombian's serve at love for 4-1, and then held at love to take a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead.
The World No.443 from Colombia staved off one set point in her next service game, and held for 5-2 before Linette closed out the next game. The No.2 seed won a terrific 88 percent of points on her service in the set, and never faced a break point.
Despite spanning two days, Linette played just as well in the second set, overwhelming the less experienced wild card. The Pole claimed an astounding 90 percent of points on her first serve in the second set, and was again never troubled in any of her service games, finishing the match without ever facing a break point.
After breaking for a 4-1 lead in the second set once a Herazo Gonzalez backhand went wide, Linette kept cruising, opening her next game with a stunning backhand winner down the line en route to a quick hold for 5-1. In the final game, Herazo Gonzalez tried to extend the match, but three consecutive backhand errors by the wild card sealed her fate and sent Linette into the next round.
.@MagdaLinette cruises past Maria Herazo Gonzalez 6-2, 6-1!
Advances to the @CopaWTABogota quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/rvS7kKyFsI— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2018
Along with Linette and Jakupovic, four other players moved into the quarterfinals after seeing their second-round matches delayed to or completed on Friday. No.5 seed Lara Arruabarrena of Spain dispatched her compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-0, 6-1, and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova eased past Mexican qualifier Renata Zarazua, 6-1, 6-4.
No.7 seed Ana Bogdan completed a huge comeback in her second round victory after a disastrous opening set, overcoming Russia's Anna Blinkova, 1-6, 7-6(8), 6-4, having saved a match point in the second set on Thursday, before the rain delay.
Finally, a Colombian wild card will play in the quarterfinals, as 17-year-old Emiliana Arango took down Italy's Jasmine Paolini, 7-6(0), 6-1. The teenager fended off two set points in the opening frame before dominating the tiebreak and the second set, en route to the first WTA quarterfinal of her career.
More to follow...