By Erik Gudris | Monday, August 29, 2016
Garbine Muguruza endured heat and a tough opponent to reach the US Open second round.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
French Open champion and No. 3 seed Garbine Muguruza finds herself in the US Open second round. But not before having to win in three sets against a tougher than expected opponent.
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Muguruza, who is one of several players in the hunt for possibly taking over the WTA No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams, found herself facing Belgian Elise Mertens on Monday. The hot temperatures on court and a hot-hitting opponent proved too much for Mugurza in the first set.
Mertens, currently ranked No. 137 in the world, claimed the first set 6-2. After that, Murugurza called for a trainer as the Spanish star felt the effects of the hot day.
“I started and it was difficult a little bit to breathe for me. It was really humid. I don't know. When you feel the heat that makes you a little bit, like, down kind of, you know,” Muguruza said. “I forgot that there was the ice towels and everything. So I start using them, trying to breathe a little bit better, I don't know, taking more calm just to, you know, go with the match.”
Feeling better, Muguruza raced through the second set taking it 6-0. Muguruza then went up an early break in the final set.
Mertens, on the strength of strong hitting, broke back and soon leveled things at 3-all. Yet, errors down the stretch from Mertens proved her undoing.
Muguruza earned a late service break and then finally closed out the three set comeback win 2-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Having won the French Open earlier this season, Muguruza knows more is expected of her at the majors, but tries to keep things simple preparing for each match.
“I think is different. If I would say no it would not make sense. Someone that, I don't know, has reached the last rounds of the tournaments or, you know, the important moments every time you go to a tournament, you believe, Maybe I can do it again. You have more expectations, that's for sure,” Muguruza said after the win. “For sure maybe a lot of people is talking. All this kind of stuff that I cannot control. If I cannot control it I don't put it in my bag, you know. I'm minimizing and doing everything very simple around me.”
Muguruza next faces Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.