Garbine Muguruza is officially back at the top of her game. A while ago at Rogers Cup in Toronto, she made her first steps on the summer swing on hard court. Cincinnati was a complete show with Muguruza getting past the defending champion in the semis (Ka. PLiskova) and crushing Simona Halep in the final. Once more, Halep has played with the world No. 1 seat waiting for her, but the Spaniard seems ready to start her own bid for the highest spot in the ranking. This time, there was no letdown and loss of focus or motivation for the 23-year-old.
Back in 2016, after winning her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros, Muguruza lost her path for almost a year only to emerge earlier this year as the new Wimbledon champion.
Now, with the Premier 5 event of Cincinnati in her pocket, she has just consolidated her status for the upcoming US Open Tennis Championships in New York.
Simona Halep had zero chances against a highly-motivated opponent
Entering the encounter knowing the stakes, once again, the 25-year-old Romanian failed to deliver when she truly needed it. Her compelling over Sloane Stephens gave her no further motivation as she seemed rather deflated and unable to hurt Muguruza. The opening set saw the Spaniard racing to a 3-0 lead. With Halep still struggling to find some pace of her own, Muguruza went on closing the set in just 24 minutes of play.The second set was even more dramatic for the Romanian as the 2015 runner-up went on losing one point after another.
The fourth game of the set was instrumental for Muguruza who saved two break points ending Halep's hopes. It all came down to an empty bucket for Halep who has suffered probably her worst defeat in years. It was 6-1 6-0 in less than an hour and Muguuza has just announced herself as a genuine contender for the summit especially at the US Open.
The second set was even more dramatic for the Romanian as the 2015 runner-up went on losing one point after another. The fourth game of the set was instrumental for Muguruza who saved two break points ending Halep's hopes. It all came down to an empty bucket for Halep who has suffered probably her worst defeat in years. It was 6-1 6-0 and Muguuza has just announced herself as a genuine contender for the summit especially at US Open.
Muguruza is the new real deal of the WTA circuit
Against Halep, her game functioned close to perfection. It was a complete display of tennis from her side with all the parts working together in a smooth manner. A double Grand Slam champion, her tennis blends a certain level of fluidity with some raw power which gives her all the necessary leverages to be the best in her branch.
For her, the biggest challenge is yet to come as US Open is perhaps the last frontier. In New York, she had no luck or luster so far as she is yet to get past the round of 64. Winning in Cincinnati will help her ranking as she will move up to the third spot. With Pliskova and Halep both having to defend points at Flushing Meadows, Muguruza, and even Svitolina are likely to challenge the summit over the next few weeks.
