Samper & Silvia Raise Home Hopes In Bogota

Bernardo Samper and Silvia Angulo Rugeles raised hopes of a Colombian double in the Tecnifibre La Hacienda Open after earning surprise places in the finals in the capital Bogota.

After upsetting the third and fifth seeds to reach the men's semi-finals, Samper, a qualifier, defeated sixth-seeded Canadian Sabir Butt 11-6 11-5 11-4. He will now meet Brazilian favourite Rafael F Alarcon, who beat England's seventh seed Tom Richards 11-7 11-1 11-4 in the other semi-final.

The top seed has also reached the women's final. But Samantha Teran, who beat fellow Mexican Karina Herrera Zuniga 9-4 9-1 9-1 in the semi-finals, will face an unexpected Colombian in the finale after fourth seed Silvia Angulo Rugeles upset compatriot Mariana De Reyes, the No2 seed, 9-4 9-6 9-0.

Men's Semi-finals:
[1] Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) bt [7] Tom Richards (ENG) 11-7, 11-1, 11-4 (28m)
[Q] Bernardo Samper (COL) bt [6] Sabir Butt (CAN) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (26m)

Women's semi-finals:
[1] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [5] Karina Herrera Zuniga (MEX) 9-4, 9-1, 9-1 (25m)
[4] Silvia Angulo Rugeles (COL) bt [2] Mariana De Reyes (COL) 9-4, 9-6, 9-0 (32m)