Garbine Muguruza defends well in first win of 2021 season

 

Garbine Muguruza in action at the Abu Dhabi Women's Tennis Open against Kristina Mladenovic

Kristina Mladenovic had her opportunities alive but couldn’t lock them into place on the opening day of the WTA tour Thursday. The French star found her moment too late against Garbine Muguruza, who went on to take the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 on centre court at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre 

Their fourth meeting marked the first in two years and a strong challenge for both to start the new season. With a strange pandemic filled season in 2020, both European stars look to make the best of what the WTA Tour had in store. With locations playing a factor for everyone, beginning in the middle east was out of their comfort zone but playing the game remained the clear objective. 

The Spaniard won back in Monterrey where she took down the Frenchwoman in straight sets. With plenty of practice during the offseason with coach Conchita Martinez, the 26-year-old had her focus in check. Mladenovic got some action in ITF competition to stay in shape. It would be up to her level on how she would come out swinging against the former world number one. 

Muguruza had trouble coming through her opening service, handing Mladenovic the break. The French star added an easy hold to love in the second in response. The Spaniard got used to the court and the wind that in turn scored her a point in the third. The two went to deuce, where they spanned four breaks with the 26-year-old scoring a service hold. She then added a break to level the score through four games, indicating an improvement to her offense. It led the Spaniard to a four-game winning streak where mistakes from Mladenovic caused her to slide. 

It was soon 5-2 for Muguruza after adding another service hold, putting the French star under pressure. Having lost two previous service games, Mladenovic didn’t want to drop a third and showed her willingness to extend by forcing deuce in the eighth. Despite saving set point from Muguruza, a second soon came up for the fifth seed and locked down the first in 39 minutes. 

The Spaniard led the way in the second set, holding serve with Mladenovic following suit. The Frenchwoman increased her level of difficulty for Muguruza scoring a serve to love that leveled the score after four games. In the fifth, the 26-year-old double-faulted giving Mladenovic an edge for a breakpoint. The fifth seed denied her that chance for deuce where after a few breaks, the hold came to her. Mladenovic answered with another hold in the sixth, shutting out her opponent that put pressure on her service game in the seventh. 

The French star focused on Muguruza’s weakness and while having to play on deuce, it didn’t take more than one break to gain the lead. Muguruza slipped up with some of her ball placements but a fight in the eighth helped her break back on deuce to level the score at four-all. Muguruza fell behind on serve in the ninth giving plenty of breakpoint chances for the lead to Mladenovic. At 40-15, the Spaniard struck back to take control of her serve scoring an ace and placing the ball well against the opposition. On deuce, Muguruza nailed the victory in place to play for the match. 

Mladenovic refused to give anything to Muguruza in the tenth but her 40-0 stand in the game soon soured. A double fault and unforced errors brought the Spaniard to deuce, opening the door for a match point chance. Mladenovic suffered three more double faults in the game with a fourth putting her away and Muguruza through to the second round in 1 hour and 38 minutes. 

While the victory went to the fifth seed, it was not the prettiest of matches to be played by either one in their return to the sport. Both players combined for 59 unforced errors with Muguruza owning 31 of them. The number of breakpoints she won along with 17 winners against Mladenovic helped her move into the second round facing Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.