Marie Bouzkova vs Hailey Baptiste Prediction & Picks - WTA Bogota

Prediction published on 4/3/24, 11:55 AM  by Drew Williamson | Modified on 4/3/24 at 1:55 PM in Tennis Picks

Czech Marie Bouzkova will face American Hailey Baptiste on Thursday afternoon for a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Bogota. For some time now, Ms Bouzkova has been unable to get very far in the tournaments she enters. Since her final loss to Siniakova in Nanchang, China (late October 2023), the Czech player has made the rounds in Australia, followed by action in the Middle East and finally ending up in America. She has only reached the second round in five of the previous nine tournaments she’s competed in. Whether it's bad luck or moreso a lack of experience, Marie Bouzkova will look to continue bouncing back, after a straightforward win over Canadian Rebecca Maruno (156th in the world) (6-0, 6-3) in 1h16. 

For her part, American Hailey Baptiste doesn't play in the same league and has competed in many Challengers and lower-ranked tournaments this year. Despite being a young player, she nevertheless reached the second round at Indian Wells after a qualifying phase. In Miami, she was swiftly eliminated, as she was unable to stand up to Wang (7-6, 6-3). Having been eliminated in the second round of the Challenger in San Luis Potosi, she’ll have to really step up against Bouzkova for this match, and it's possible that she'll simply lay down in this high-level tournament. Playing almost an hour longer than her forthcoming opponent did in the previous round, the American expended a great deal more energy, a fact that will also work against her.