Garbine Muguruza rallies to win in straight sets in Tokyo

Garbine Muguruza serves up the forehand serve during her second-round match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. 

Garbine Muguruza’s struggles for consistency were not a problem at the Pan Pacific Open Wednesday. The third seed ran away with a straight sets win against Despina Papamichail 6-3, 6-2 on center court at the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo. The victory gave the Spaniard her fifth career advance to the quarterfinal in what was a shaky start to her tournament run.

The Spaniard made her sixth appearance in the Japanese capital, prepped to make her push back into the middle of the competition and beyond. Despite being absent for four years, Muguruza’s last return to Ariake Tennis Park was during the Tokyo Olympics where she made it to the quarterfinals. Having been given a bye from the first round, she faced the Greek who warmed up in her straight sets win Monday. It marked her first time facing a former world number one, and with Muguruza coming off the US Open, it left a possibility for the 29-year-old.

She struggled to get the first serve in check, recording a double fault on serve. A game-point chance went out the window when Muguruza took control and notched the break. Muguruza suffered a mishap in the second, watching Papamichail break her back to love and consolidated with a heavy effort. Saving breakpoints helped the 29-year-old lead the way, but Muguruza overcame her early problems and swiftly tied the score.

The third seed forced another break out of the Greek and backed it up with a service hold, doubling her margin. Papamichail notched her second double fault but fought back to force deuce and hold the first AD point. Muguruza rallied to 5-3, but in the ninth, the 29-year-old saved two set points, going on to hold serve. The third seed put her mistakes in the game aside and fought to force deuce and on the first break, scored the set in 51 minutes. The 28-year-old delivered big from the first serve, landing 9 of 12, and put the second serve to work on the returns.

With everything paying off in the opening set, Muguruza went on a tear in the second, notching a break to love. She went on taking the next three games, with the double break in hand. Papamichail got a victory in the fifth, but Muguruza made it 5-1 on a serve to love. The seventh saw the Greek work her offense effectively against the Spaniard, making her play every ball that included a near 20-shot rally. She clinched a second win, hoping that she could prevent the Spaniard from finishing the match on serve.

The third seed jammed up the returns of Papamichail, aiming the shots near the body to reach three match points. Muguruza got it done and dusted in 1 hour and 26 minutes, with an eight-shot rally ending with Papamichail slicing wide. The comeback that the Greek nearly got started shows how difficult it can be for a tennis superstar, who took more than a week off from competition.

“It is difficult,” said Muguruza after the match. “Especially that she has played here four days in a row and has the good feeling of this court, and I had to get ready as much as possible with the rain, so I was nervous.”