Garbine Muguruza rallies from one set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai - UBITENNIS

Garbine Muguruza rallies from one set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai

By sampaolo
5 Min Read

Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza came back from one set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 6-2 7-5 after 1 hou and 44 minutes reaching the semifinal at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championhips for the third time in her career. She had already achieved this stage of the Dubai tournament in 2015 and 2018. 

Muguruza beat Sabalenka for the second time in as many weeks. A few days ago the Spaniard beat Sabalenka in Doha en route to the Qatar Total Open final last week. 

Muguruza scored the 16th match win of the 2021 season. The Spanish player hit 23 winners to 20 unforced errors and converted five of her eleven break points. Sabalenka produced 26 winners to 34 unforced errors. 

Sabalenka saved two break points in the first game, but she did not face any more in the rest of the first set. Sabalenka earned the only break of the first set at 3-1 and held on her final three service games to claim the first set 6-3 with a winning overhead. 

Sabalenka went up an early break at the start of the second set, but Muguruza broke Sabalenka’s next two service games to take a 3-1 lead. Muguruza won her final three service games and sealed the second set 6-2 with a love hold. 

After a trade of breaks in the first two games of the third set, Muguruza earned a double break in the fifth and seventh games and closed out the match with a hold at love. 

“I felt like she came out today more aggressive than our last match in Doha. I felt like she wanted to play more aggressive, faster, serving big, and I struggled to find my shots, my game, and she quickly broke me and took the first set. Then I tried to be more aggressive as well. If you have somebody in front of you that is trying to win the point in a couple of shots, you have to be faster and stronger, so I tried to be dominant after. Then everything was more equal. I felt more in the points”, said Muguruza. 

Muguruza set up a semifinal against Elise Mertens, who saved three match points in her 5-7 7-5 6-0 win over Jessica Pegula. Mertens converted her third break point at deuce to take a 3-2 lead. Pegula broke back to love in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Mertens broke serve at deuce to take a 5-4 lead. Pegula won the final three games with two breaks to win the first set 7-5. Pegula went up a break in the fourth game to take a 4-1 lead. Mertens broke twice in the ninth and eleventh games from 3-5 down to win the second set 7-5. Mertens broke three times to take a bagel win in the third set.

Jil Teichmann cruised past US teenager Coco Gauff 6-3 6-3 after 73 minutes to score her first win over the US 16-year-old rival this season. Gauff had beaten Teichmann twice in 2021 at the Gippsland Trophy and at the Australian Open. 


Teichmann reached the quarter finals or better in her last three tournaments and the second consecutive semifinal with her first win over Gauff. 

Teichmann did not face a break point in the first set and earned the crucial break to take a 5-3 lead after Gauff netted a forehand. Teichmann held at love to close out the opening set 6-3. Teichmann earned a break in the first game of the second set The Swiss player saved three break points before holding a tough service game to take a 3-1 lead. Teichmann earned a double break to close out the second set 6-3 reaching the first WTA 1000 semifinal of her career. Teichmann will take on Barbora Krejikova, who cruised past Potapova 6-0 6-2. Krejikova broke three times to take a 6-0 lead. Both players traded breaks in the third and fourth games. Teichmann won the final four games with two consecutive breaks to win the claim the second set 6-2.

Leave a comment