Garbine Muguruza clears tough three setter against Gauff at Rome Masters

Garbine Muguruza celebrates a big win against American Cori Gauff at the BNL Internazionli D'Italia in Rome.

Garbine Muguruza faced serious adversity at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia but crossed the finish line first Thursday. The 26-year-old cleared the bar facing Cori Gauff who performed well as a threat that the Spaniard handled in a 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 result on Campo Centrale at Foro Italico. 

 

After tremendously showing off her skills in the first round, the Spaniard was more than pumped for a challenge and it came against the young American rising star. Having not played the sixteen-year-old since she stepped on the world stage last year, the two had their chance to experience one another on the court. Gauff impressed well against Ons Jabeur who had trouble transitioning to the surface from hard court competition. With one European title under her belt from last year, she would look for weaknesses in the former world number one and vie to make it two. 

Gauff won the option of serving first and meant business on the very first strike. Waiting her time during rallies, Gauff set up her point, pushing Muguruza away from the placed winner. She reached 40-0, double-faulted, but managed to hold her to a point to win. The ninth seed found it challenging to outduel the young American, who ran for every ball coming to her. She remained composed and held Gauff from forcing deuce to contain service. 

With the added pressure, Muguruza saw that the 16-year-old was doing well on serve and when it came for the Spaniard to serve the fourth, her game was under attack. Gauff fired the returns back to force the two-time finalist to deuce. It was there that Gauff went on the offensive, scoring the break to take a 3-1 lead. Muguruza turned things around with a break back to love disappointing the American of widening the gap. 

With an attempt to level the score on serve, the 26-year-old was again pushed to deuce but managed to hang out and avoid giving a double break. The same went for the teen who scored a serve to love in the seventh. The ninth seed continued to stay with Gauff, who served an important game in which either one could go for the set. The 16-year-old fired off three winners to Muguruza and held her back to step ahead with the opportunity. The ninth seed denied her that chance, effectively firing difficult returns for Gauff that led them to further action in the set. 

The American once again set the bar for Muguruza only to see that she cleared it and set up the pivotal tie-break. The score remained tied through six points but a momentum change arrived for Muguruza who made it four in a row to lead 5-3. A challenging shot brought her set point which she achieved with a hard ace to clinch the first in 59 minutes. It was the sixth that she made in the set with her serve at 67 percent. 

Muguruza rolled it into the second set with a hold off the 16-year-old but once the American got the ball, the situation changed. Gauff put together and strong service in the second and anted up, forcing Muguruza to defend the third on deuce. A critical mistake on the game point turned the tables for the American who captured the opening break. Her own game was challenged as the Spaniard battled to break back, but erred on a long ball. 

Gauff consolidated the hold with a double break, adding pressure to Muguruza who saved breakpoints on serve but not the one that counted on deuce. With the 4-1 lead, the American was in a position to dictate the remainder of the set, but a break back from the Spaniard halted her march. Muguruza added an important hold in the seventh that set her a game from a full comeback. 

Gauff put the brakes on her unraveling game and held the eighth to play for the set with Muguruza still trying to catch up. She wouldn’t get the chance as errors gifted the second set to the teen who forced a decider after 48 minutes. Nine double faults were committed by the two in the set but the nerves being held in check by Gauff proved her statement to the former world number one. 

She started the third set adding a strong service game while having very little experience on the clay surface. It didn’t show as another break put her ahead with Muguruza looking for answers to respond. She did so in the third, scoring a break on Guff who made three consecutive double faults. Muguruza consolidated with a hold to level at two-all before a double break turned the tables. 

It was 4-2 to the Spaniard who had a good outlook on how the match would end but Gauff had games left to make difference. She held serve for the first time in three attempts but the Spaniard answered in the eighth with a key service hold. Double faults from the American added up to her eventual downfall as Muguruza reached triple match point on the break to clear her way into the round of 16 after 2 hours and 27 minutes.