The 2017 Wimbledon champion overcame the challenge from an inspired Svetlana Kuznetsova in one of the best women’s matches of the tournament.
By Todd Muffie
CINCINNATI – With the rain delaying most of Thursday’s play at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Friday’s session was blessed with a bright sunny day and a mixture of clouds. With temperatures already reaching 85° F at 11 in the morning, the conditions certainly appeared to be more brutal court-side than on paper despite a slight breeze.
Today’s first match on Center Court featured the clash between two Grand Slam champions, the No. 4-seed Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain and the No. 8-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. The Spaniard is enjoying her rise to the top of the women’s game while her Russian opponent has been a fixture on the WTA Tour since turning pro in 2000. The two players have met five times in the past with Muguruza getting the better of the Russian in four of the five matches that were played. Kuznetsova won their first meeting and then Muguruza took the reins by winning the next four, including two this year. Their last clash was just a month ago in the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a final score of 6-3 6-4 in Muguruza’s favor.
Despite the head-to-head being in the Spaniard’s favor, throughout the years Kuznetsova has proven that she can never be counted out of a match. The Russian can beat any player on any given day when she is on her game.
Today’s match started off with Muguruza playing an extremely aggressive style of tennis. This forced Kuznetsova to play too defensively from the first point. Muguruza was planted on the baseline hitting the ball with enough accuracy and speed to force the Russian five or six feet at the back of the court. Kuznetsova on the other hand was trying to retrieve as many balls as possible but unfortunately her efforts resulted in unforced errors. Muguruza raced to a 3-0 lead, but Kuznetsova managed to make the first set competitive by breaking back and pulling within a game at 3-2. This was the perfect time for Kuznetsova to call for her on-court coaching. This was also the moment in which the vocal contest started. Kuznetsova is mostly silent during her matches until the tension rises and her presence is heard. Muguruza is instead much more consistent with her vocal talents.
At 3-2 Kuznetsova started to make her move. The sixth game of the first set was by far the longest of the match with a total of 24 points and four break chances for Kuznetsova. This was the pivotal game of the first set and Muguruza took it by the narrowest of margins. The Spaniard eventually won the set 6-2, but the score could have been even at 3-3 if Kuznetsova had converted on one of her four break chances.
The second set started in the same fashion as the first, with Muguruza breaking Kuznetsova in the opening game and eventually going up 3-1. Kuznetsova was still having difficulty closing her service games while her opponent was holding hers with ease. Kuznetsova started to mount her comeback in the fifth game of the second set. She started to play closer to the baseline and refused to let Muguruza push her around. The match turned into a battle and the level of play was high on both sides of the net at the same time. This was also another moment when the vocals were heard loud and clear: Even the most distracted spectator was commenting on the decibel level. Kuznetsova eventually won the second set 7-5 to the delight of the fans that were cheering for a close match.
Before starting the third set, Muguruza called for the trainer. Her left thigh was bandaged throughout the entire match and everyone was wondering if she really needed medical attention or was simply trying to change the momentum of the match.
The third set was the most competitive and beautiful of the match. Both players held their serve until the eleventh game, when Muguruza managed to find a way to break Kuznetsova’s serve with a little help from her opponent. The last game was looking to be a straight-forward hold for the match with Muguruza going up 40-0 and three match points, but you can never count the Russian out. Kuznetsova fought back to deuce, but this proved to be her last swan song in this match. Muguruza won the next two points and took the match 6-2 5-7 7-5.
In her post-match press conference, Garbiñe talked about how she feels more experienced and relaxed dealing with the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion. The Spaniard seemed to be relieved after surviving back-to-back colossal battles against quality opponents such as Keys and Kuznetsova. She also expressed how she feels comfortable being a top player, which represented a clear statement about her mindset going into the US Open.
