Garbine Muguruza fights to advance to round three at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Garbine Muguruza fights through every point during her second round match against Bernarda Pera at the BNL Internazionali D'Italia

Garbine Muguruza had a tough outing in her second-round match but came through to grasp victory at the BNL Internazionali D’Italia Wednesday. The Spaniard was forced into three sets with Bernarda Pera, who pressed the issue in the first and third sets but went down 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 on Court Two at the Foro Italico in Rome. 

This marked the first meeting between the two and a big obstacle for the American. She had a three-match winning streak on her back with a good win over Tamara Zidansek. The Spaniard showed that a lot of rain couldn’t stop her from dominating her opponent including a blister that bothers her left heel. With a quick finish, the former world number one would have a lot in the tank to take care of the 26-year-old. 

Things did not go right for the Spaniard from the first point after committing a double fault. Two more sprouted in her game that handed Pera the break. Muguruza managed to break back in the second, but when it came time to try and recover in the third, the double faults followed. She recorded a few more that put her in a 0-40 hole and attempted to recover only to be cut short of forcing deuce in the third. Pera went on to take the double break but quickly found herself broken again. 

They played five games in a row with Muguruza once again double-faulting for her eighth of the set. Pera took the 3-2 lead and never looked back as she consolidated on serve in the sixth with a shutout. A fourth break for the American put her in a good place against the 12^th seed, who flopped during each one of her service games and was trounced in the eighth to complete the first in 33 minutes. 

The 27-year-old left the court to deal with an issue off-court leaving Pera to try and keep warm after such a terrific start. When Muguruza returned with the problem taken care of, she went on a tear of the 26-year-old American. Though she continued to face adversity through the set, the Spaniard held serve from her end and fought hard to break Pera each time. It wasn’t until the sixth game that she earned a shutout against the American, but a sweep of the second set put the former world number one in a much better position with a deciding set in play after 30 minutes. 

Pera left the court to regroup and when she returned, she suffered her seventh loss in a row that forced her to make a big change. From the second game on, she took control away from the 12^th seed to make a name for herself. She went on to win the next four straight that put a Spaniard in a big hole. Something in the 27-year-old built up to recover from the deficit and win the next four straight to play for the match in the ninth. Pera refused to give her that opportunity easily going up 40-0 before closing it out. 

With the score balanced at five-all, it was the Spaniard to act with a hold of serve putting pressure on the American. She got into a tight spot on serve in the 12^th where the pivotal point favored for Muguruza. It was all over when Pera returned a shot wide that brought a dramatic finish that took two hours and four minutes.