Garbine Muguruza turned things around just in time to end the day right at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia. Despite a rough outing, the world number six overcame a bad second set to teach 19 year old Jelena Ostapenko the ropes in a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 win on Corte Centrale at Foro Italico in Rome Wednesday night.
This was the second consecutive meeting in Rome between the two in which the high-ranking Spaniard didn’t give much up in her round of 16 victory. While the Latvian did manage to strike hard in the second set, her loss gave her the experience necessary to vie for a spot in the round of 16. She took down Shelby Rogers in her opening round match that gave her a three-match winning streak but plenty to be proud of for someone who is 19. Muguruza would be more than happy to produce a win that hasn’t come to her since Miami. With a tough losing streak on her back, taking care of business in her first match of the tournament would be essential with Roland Garros just 11 days away.
The struggles were apparent right away as Ostapenko rallied through deuce to hold serve against Muguruza and never let off. She broke the Spaniard whose offense on the first and second serve was not yet up to speed. Her problems and unforced errors allowed the young Latvian to charge forward and take a surprising 4-0 rout. It all came to an end for the 19-year-old as Muguruza found a way to break her in the fifth and avoid falling into a bagel.
The second serve returns improved slightly but on serve in the sixth, the third seed got into control but had to fight the Latvian on deuce. It was not easy and only resulted in the youngster capturing the break to lead 5-1 with the ball in hand to go for the set. Muguruza stopped her with a key break to give her a second win but the journey to leveling would be a long hard fight for her. Ostapenko brought it to an abrupt end after a talking with coach and mother who gave her some pointers that allowed her to lead the match after 36 minutes. Muguruza landed just 14 percent on the second serve and recorded 17 unforced errors through eight games.
The need for improvement was there for the Spaniard who held service to start the second set giving a stronger outlook. Ostapenko was starting to feel the pressure as Muguruza showed aggression and response in the rallies that let her lead 2-1. Keeping control wasn’t easy for the third seed but by some power and ball placement, Muguruza managed to hold together on the deuce draw and sum up another victory.
The young Latvian got another game winner but it was the last she saw as Muguruza was running at full speed. She dictated the next four games that put her on an even scale with Ostapenko ending 41 minutes and an interesting look into the third set. The Spaniard’s first serve increased dramatically to the point of winning nearly 80 percent of points. The second serve though better improved making it a more comfortable output of offense for a strong player who found her niche to fight on.
It was a game that Ostapenko had a hard time dealing with as her recording double faults continued to rattle her inside and out. By the third game and down 2-0 she notched her tenth overall giving Muguruza a chance to strike on another break. She got it with some easy while frustrations began to get the best of the 19-year-old. It led to another chat with coach Anabel Medina Garrigues who came out to give some positivity to her athlete, but the feeling was not mutual as a sign of giving up was apparent.
She was down 4-0 and while fireworks were going off away from the tennis courts, Muguruza was on a winning streak that saw her inch closer to a match win. Ostapenko somehow pulled out a game win on serve in the set to avoid the bagel but watched as the world number four won the next game. She was completely on fire as a break win in the seventh gave her a comeback victory that advanced her into the third round after a 1 hour and 46-minute battle that finished in triumph. With the improvements paying off for the 23-year-old she’ll go into the round of 16 against Julia Goerges on Thursday.
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