Muguruza claimed her first Grand Slam victory with an impressive 7-5 6-4 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier. The Spaniard, 12 years her junior, was playing in just her second after losing last year’s Wimbledon final to Williams.
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There were times in the months after that breakthrough when Muguruza struggled with the weight of her own expectations, as much as other people’s.
“I don’t think it’s the 22, I just think she needs to get in a different place. I like to play against the best players”, she said.
“You know, I played well”.
“For sure watching Serena’s last couple of matches, you would think her intensity was a little less but (in the final) Serena was in full force and I think Garbine did very well because she was the one that went for the match and won the match”.
I can’t explain with words what this day means to me, and that for Spain and for me this is just unbelievable.
She is the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam title since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in Paris in 1998 and she is the third straight first time Grand Slam victor after Flavia Pennetta at last year’s US Open and Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open. “Kind of like Russian style, that’s what they call me in Spain “oh Garbine and her Russian style”, but it’s what works for me”, the Venezuelan-born Spaniard says.
Muguruza matched Williams power-for-power, stroke-for-stroke throughout the match.
“Of course I’m very happy, but I’d like to have more”, Muguruza said. She won her next 14 sets with take-the-ball-early fearlessness.
Billie Jean King described it as a changing of the guard and Manolo Santana, who was the first Spanish man to win the title here when he triumphed in 1961, could hardly keep the grin off his face as he talked about Muguruza, having sat courtside for her triumph. Her serve, when working, is a weapon.
Reflecting on her opponent’s performance, Williams said that Muguruza knows how to perform on a big stage and how to clinch a Grand Slam, insisting that she definitely has a bright future.
The players took contrasting routes to get to the final. Her drop shots landed in the bottom of the net. Her backhand’s just phenomenal, and her forehand too.
The clay courts of Roland Garros host the second Grand Slam of the season.
Serena Williams offered no excuses after a straight-sets defeat to an “unbelievable” Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s French Open final.
The Spaniard demonstrates the same sort of determination on a court that she observed in Williams and her sibling, hitting hard groundstrokes, aiming for lines, taking risks that bring real rewards. It was there that Serena would save four championship points in a drawn-out, dramatic 16-point game.
Afterwards, she said it was a wonderful feeling to have her dream finally come true.
However, Sam Sumyk, Muguruza’s coach, who also guided Victoria Azarenka to her first Grand Slam title in 2012, disagrees that this signals the end of the Williams era. She was one of tennis’ top movers, relying on counter-punching to frustrate and wear down rivals. She lies back in ecstasy, getting clay stains on her dress and arms as Serena looks on.
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“When you are able to finish like the way she did in the last game, it’s a second reason to say she deserved it”. Now it’s done, finished, her name’s not going to be on a list of potential grand slam winners. It’s the first time in Williams’ career she lost back-to-back Slam finals.
