By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Garbine Muguruza saved a set point reeling off 10 of the last 13 games to top Shelby Rogers, 7-5, 6-3, and reach the Roland Garros semifinals for the first time.
Photo credit: Philippe Montigny/FFT
Metaphorical glass slippers aren't ideal footwear for major quarterfinals contested on soggy red clay.
None of that mattered much to Shelby Rogers, who was committed to her major match.
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Poised to continue her Cinderella run, Rogers held a set point in the opener today.
Then Garbine Muguruza made her move to impose her own happy ending.
Creeping inside the baseline, Muguruza erupted with a seven-game surge repelling Rogers, 7-5, 6-3, to roar into her first Roland Garros semifinal.
Since surrendering the opening set of her first-round match against Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, Muguruza has reeled off 10 consecutive sets playing the dynamic tennis she showed reaching the 2015 Wimbledon final.
"I respect all the players, and especially all the players who have made deep runs in the tournament. I respect them," Muguruza said. "I'm not frightened. I'm not scared. I'm business, of course, but I wish I could reach a final. Why not?"
The fourth-seeded Spaniard will face 2010 finalist Samantha Stosur for a place in the French Open final.
The 21st-seeded Australian fought off Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-5, 7-6 (6). In their lone prior meeting, Stosur defeated Muguruza, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 at the 2014 Madrid tournament.
Bidding to become the first woman ranked outside the Top 100 to reach the Roland Garros semifinals, the 108th-ranked Rogers rolled out to an aggressive start breaking to open.
"The match was kind of weird. Like there was a lot of momentum shifts in the first," Rogers said. "In the second even she went up 3-0 and I came back. I think both of us just had streaks of playing well and then not playing very well. She definitely knew what she wanted to do with the big points. I think that was the biggest thing. But I'm pretty happy with the way I played. It was just kind of an execution issue today. A few errors here and there. Yeah, enjoyed it as much as I could for a loss."
The Charleston, S.C. native had disarmed a slew of power players, including Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova and Irina-Camelia Begu busting into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Playing bold first-strike tennis, Rogers came out hammering heavy second serves eventually stretching her lead to 3-1.
Midway through the set, Muguruza began to find her range and assert her aggression. She closed net for a fine forehand volley holding in the seventh game.
Tested at 30-all in the eighth game, Rogers responded with an ace only to see Muguruza exploit a net cord with a looping topspin lob winner. By then, Muguruza was often bouncing inside the baseline trying to attack balls on the rise.
Rogers withstood heavy hitting, denying a pair of break points to hold for 5-3. Muguruza sailed through the ninth game at love putting the balls in Rogers hand and set on her racquet.
Plastering a forehand winner down the line, Rogers earned set point.
Muguruza saved it with a heavy forehand crosscourt to set up a backhand swing volley winner. A terrific testing lob set up a forehand Muguruza shrewdly hit behind her opponent for break point.
Forcing the issue with her forehand, Rogers got the ball she wanted but flattened a forehand into net. Muguruza grabbed the break as coach Sam Sumyk raised a clenched fist toward her.
Two games later Muguruza scraped a mid-court forehand off the dirt and followed it forward coaxing a netted pass. The 22-year-old Spaniard saved set point in the 10th game, rolling through four consecutive games to snatch a set once in Roger's reach.
Breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead, Muguruza erased a break point with an ace and a second break point with a blistering service winner. Jolting her fourth ace down the middle, Muguruza sealed her seventh straight game for a 3-0 advantage.
Credit Rogers for showing some stiff resistance. She answered with a three-game run of her own to level.
When Muguruza needed to serve big, she delivered winning 10 of 17 second-serve points. Whipping her swing volley with authority, Muguruza won 13 of 14 trips to net. She broke again for 5-3.
"She's a very aggressive player. She likes to take control of the points and be the one dictating play," Rogers said. "She's got a great serve. She moves forward very well. She did that very well today. Her serve was pretty good today when it mattered."
Muguruza flicked a forehand down the line, flicked her Babolat racquet aside and raised her arms in triumph. She won 10 of the last 13 games roaring into her first Roland Garros semifinal.
The first-time semifinalist finished strong; she's aiming for a faster start in the semifinals against Stosur.
"I need to dictate play from the very beginning of the match," Muguruza said. "I know that my opponent started in full swing; I shouldn't wait for my opponent to dictate play."
Hitting with conviction, Muguruza raised her 2016 record to 20-9, including a 12-3 mark on clay.