Williams failed to add to her 21 major titles since beating Muguruza at Wimbledon a year ago and remains behind Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22.
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Many players dream of winning grand slam titles but, in an era dominated by Serena Williams, few women have had a look in.
“It was very hard to see you have four match points and doesn’t go your way”. “The only thing I can do is just keep trying”. “All the matches I played against her (in the past) helped me”, Muguruza said in her victory speech.
“This is the big tournament in Spain and Rafa Nadal is our champion”, she said courtside, referring to the nine-times men’s victor who pulled out injured last week. It’s great that there are new faces and she thinks it’s a breath of fresh air.
The press hailed “Reina Garbiñe” (Queen Garbiñe), with stories noting that she is the first Spanish women’s champion since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1998 at the French Open, the only major played on clay, a surface on which Spanish players have had tremendous success over the years. “There’s no room for being disappointed or for excuses”, Muguruza said. It doesn’t make her play bad but maybe not aggressive enough to win it.
If she was the superstitious kind, she would have chosen not to flick through the record books – as the last time a woman contested her first claycourt final in Paris, she got walloped 6-0 6-0 by an incumbent world number one. “What happened?’ When he said ‘game, set, and match”, I was like, ‘No way! She was touted as the next big thing, with experts and peers predicting many Grand Slam titles to her name.
“But then I grew up and my body was not like a Spanish player”. It’s the first time in Williams’ career she lost back-to-back Slam finals. Just like Muguruza herself.
Williams said Muguruza would do well in the future. “I thought about it yesterday”, Muguruza told reporters after plotting Williams” downfall. But long after that astonishing upset, inconsistency had continued to plague her game and erratic results had resulted in only two WTA titles before Saturday. But since then, she has been beaten in the semifinals at the US Open by Roberta Vinci in September, in the final at the Australian Open by Angelique Kerber in January, and now by Muguruza.
Williams had fired a backhand down the line, directly in front of Billie Jean King, who was watching from the front row.
Muguruza’s second break of the final allowed her to serve for the set and she duly managed that, staving off two break-back points along the way.
“My dream is to continue and win more tournaments, similar tournaments, and to dominate”.
The second set went in favor of Muguruza till a late fight back from Williams made her work for victory.
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“If she would not feel the pressure of the 22nd, she would not be human”, said Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams’ coach. “I’m not thinking this way, I chose to keep my focus and win matches and tournaments, but of course I would be very happy to be No1”. The game had always been there, Sumyk instilled some much-need composure to it. Muguruza – charming and full of smiles when she’s winning, and frazzled and distraught when she’s not – has always displayed her emotions on the court.
