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2017 WTA Copa Claro Colsanitas Preview

The 2017 Copa Claro Colsanitas is a wide-open tournament, as you will soon find out. This is one of a number of clay tournaments held in the Americas while the European continent gears up for the heart of its clay season. It is hard for this tournament, like the ATP event in Houston, to attract the foremost clay-court players on tour. This means, however, that the players making the trip to Colombia will have a very reasonable chance of winning. This is a great opportunity for unheralded players trying to make a splash. In terms of betting the event, it’s high-risk, high-reward.

The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Monday, April 10.

Event Details

Event: Copa Claro Colsanitas

Category: WTA International Level

Date: April 10 – 16, 2017

Location: Centro de Alto RendimientoBogota, Colombia

With a prize money allotment of $250,000, there’s not anything distinctive about the purse, which is standard for international level events. That’s why we’re not going to see a lot of big names at this event. Obviously, Serena Williams will not be taking part and neither will Angelique Kerber and a slew of other women in the Top 25.

The notable feature of the event is that it takes place in South America while Europe prepares for a wave of clay-court events in the coming two months. Players who want to load up on clay events and came to Bogota for this upcoming week are committing to a lot of travel instead of establishing a base in Europe as soon as possible. In terms of handicapping, this is a good place to start eyeing players to bet on at the 2017 French Open. We’ll see if anyone stands out.

Points

Champion – 280

Runner-up – 180

Semifinal – 110

Quarterfinal – 60

Round-of-16 – 30

Former Champions and Results (5 Years)

Year Champion Runner-up Score

2016 – Irina Falconi def. Silvia Soler Espinosa – 6-2, 2-6, 6-4

2015 – Teliana Pereira def. Yaroslava Shvedova – 7-6, 6-1

2014 – Caroline Garcia def. Jelena Jankovic – 6-3, 6-4

2013 – Jelena Jankovic def. Paula Ormaechea – 6-1, 6-2

2012 – Lara Arruabarrena def. Alexandra Panova – 6-2, 7-5

Player Info:

Kiki Bertens, who entered this past week at No. 21 in the world, is the top seed for this tournament. She played in Charleston, South Carolina, and is therefore making a quick transition to Latin America for another clay tournament. She made the French Open semifinals last year, so she is clearly intent on trying to bank as many clay rankings points as possible. However, if you’re thinking of betting the favorite, you might want to think twice. Clay is usually her surface – she was 17-5 on clay last year – but she’s been struggling in 2017. She is just 4-9 overall through the hard court part of the season.

Katerina Siniakova, ranked at 36 the week before this tournament, is the second seed. She had to retire, however, from her first match in Charleston this week against Monica Puig, so there is a chance she might pull out of the tournament before it starts.

Peng Shuai, a 2014 U.S. Open semifinalist, has been searching for that level of form ever since. She has not been able to maintain the level of consistency, which brought her within two wins of an improbable major title. She is the third seed here and will try to regain a measure of belief in her game. She is 13-7 on the year with a record of 9-6 on hard courts and 4-1 on indoor hard courts. What is concerning is that she hasn’t won a clay court match on the Tour Main Draw in three years (0-3).

After the top three seeds, all in the top 40, the level of players drops off. Johanna Larsson, at No. 57, is the fourth seed. Lara Arruabarrena, at 65, is the fifth seed. Mandy Minella, at 68, is sixth. The seventh and eighth seeds, Magda Linette and Patricia Maria Tig, are both outside the top 80.

Centro de Alto Rendimiento

The facility in Bogota has nine clay tennis courts in addition to facilities for various other sports which make the venue a magnet for athletes in and around Colombia. Some of the other facilities include an Olympic pool of 50 meters with eight regulation lanes, four football fields, an eight-lane athletic track, various baths (steam, Turkish) and massage rooms for sports recovery.

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Written by Geoff Harvey

Geoff Harvey has been creating odds and betting models since his days in the womb, just don't ask him how he used to get his injury reports back then. Harvey contributes a wealth of quality and informational content that is a valuable resource for any handicapper.

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