Garbine Muguruza knocks out Donna Vekic in thrilling first round of US Open

Garbine Muguruza watched every ball played during her opening match with Donna Vekic at the US Open.

Garbine Muguruza had everything thrown at her but came through it at the US Open Monday. The Spaniard overcame serious adversity from Donna Vekic, who pressed back-to-back tiebreak sets but came up short 7-6(4), 7-6(5) on Louis Armstrong Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center.

The two met three years ago in a second meeting that proved once again competitive. Muguruza bested the Croatian on the clay courts of Madrid in three sets, blasting away strong in the final set. Vekic held a win on hard courts against the former world number one, but in their second battle on the surface coming seven years later, the Spaniard had a bigger advantage to how well she could take care of business. Though Montreal and Cincinnati didn’t go well for either player, the final slam of the year proved important to each one and would guarantee another fight for control and a spot in round two.

Both hit the ball hard through the opening game, with Muguruza pressing the action against Vekic, who came through to hold serve. The ninth seed had a save a couple of breakpoints on serve before coming out of the second with a win. The two played five games on serve, until Vekic made a move with her forehand that scored her the break on Muguruza. Sitting a break down, the Spaniard watched the Croatian err twice and commit the first double fault of the match. A bad return fell wide of the court that sealed the deal for the ninth seed, putting her back on serve. 

Muguruza had to fight tough after committing her 11^th error against Vekic. The two went to deuce, where a high amount of effort from the Spaniard leveled her back in the eighth to play on into the business end of the set. The ninth seed attempted to get her chance at breaking the Croatian in the ninth when she forced deuce. Despite the troubles she had to fight off, Vekic held serve after four breaks and seven minutes played.

Muguruza knew that she had to hold serve in the tenth and prevent her opponent from threatening. Vekic answered with her first shutout of the Spaniard, putting her opponent in a spot to hold or go a set down. The 27-year-old succeeded in forcing a first set tiebreak with Vekic, which made it their third overall and an important moment for each. Aggression was a huge feat for Muguruza, who used it well in her offense to edge away from Vekic, gaining a set point at 6-4 and close out the first in 1 hour and 13 minutes. Both had high first serve percentages, numerous winners, and close on unforced errors but with the Spaniard gaining the leverage, she hoped to build it into a stronger output in the second. 

The ninth seed etched out the first with a strong offense that kept Vekic under pressure. She took a break from the Croatian, playing every point using her height to her advantage on returns. Muguruza went up 3-0, with Vekic needing to get on the board by any means. The Croatian held serve to get into the set, but Muguruza was on top of her game when the balls returned to her hands. She took a commanding 4-1 lead on Vekic, putting herself closer to the second round. 

The 25-year-old gained a second win on serve, but breaking Muguruza at her current level was out of the question. The Spaniard proved that with some help from the Croatian, who erred on points earned a shutout and a 5-2 stance to play for the match. A break chance didn’t come for her, but after a quick victory from Vekic, the Spaniard got right to work. 

She faced some adversity in the ninth when a net-front shot went awry forcing her to bring up deuce. Vekic managed to earn an AD point and was thrilled when Muguruza’s return went long of the baseline to clinch her first break of the set and sit a game down. The momentum turned around and clenched onto Vekic, who served up three impressive points before winning the game on a long Muguruza return. 

With the score at five-all, Muguruza put the pressure right back on Vekic, who she didn’t want coming through her service in the 12^th. Despite a fourth double fault, the 25-year old allowed Muguruza just one point before forcing a second tiebreak. The two traded off the first six points before a short-angled return winner gave Muguruza the lead. She gained another one before Vekic scored a minibreak to stay in reach. 

The ninth seed broke back to earn match point but blew it on a shot into the net. Her second and last came to a conclusion in a 12-shot rally that ended with a smash crosscourt that gave her a full effort victory in 2 hours and 18 minutes. 

“I’m proud of my fighting spirit,” said Muguruza after her match. “I had a very tough first round and it was a battle. We have always had difficult matches and it’s the first round of the US Open and a very special tournament and very excited to be back.”  With one hard match down, she’ll prepare for another one against the winner between Andrea Petkovic or Irina Camelia Begu.