Garbine Muguruza Survives Injury Scare as Johanna Konta Crashes Out of Australian Open 2020

The two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza began having an erratic run on the Tour after her French Open 2019 loss. The Spaniard just won a match after the clay-court major and later wrapped up her 2019 season. Muguruza began the year 2020 with a handful of match-wins in Shenzhen and Hobart. In the opening round of the Australian Open 2020, she battled past against Shelby Rogers 0-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Garbine Muguruza took an MTO

In the quick opening set against Shelby Rogers, where the American fed her with a bagel, Garbine Muguruza took a medical time out. The reasons for her MTO are presently unknown. In the second set the former World Number one Muguruza turned around the match and with a love-hold service game, she sealed the set 6-1. 

In the deciding set, she was dominating since the very beginning. World Number 32 Muguruza swiftly converted her first break point. Later she had to take her service game to deuce and consolidated her break for a 2-0 lead. The rejuvenated Spaniard maintained her momentum and led by a double break at 3-0. With jaw-dropping serves Muguruza held a 4-0 lead.  Continuing the game with the same energy, the Spaniard turned around the tables and pulled off the match by feeding Rogers a bagel in the final set. 

Other upsets of the day

Meanwhile, the 12th seed at the Australian Open 2020 Johanna Konta was knocked out by World Number 78 Ons Jabeur  6-4 6-2. Before starting her run at the Aussie major the Brit was expecting Jabeur to overpower her. “A hundred percent I expected her to play well against me,” Konta said. “I expected her to be inspired to play well, and she’s the kind of player also gets on a bit of a roll. That unleashes more of her creativity and her unpredictability. That’s why she’s very difficult to play.”

The former champion Maria Sharapova was vanquished by Donna Vekic in straight sets. The Croatian player Vekic was expecting a tough match against the five-time Grand Slam champion and she was well prepared for the test. “Maria is a great player, a champion. I practiced with her in the off-season, and it was my first practice set, actually, and she’s been practicing for a while. She killed me, like, 6-1. I knew it was going to be a tough match and that I had to bring my A-game,” said Vekic.

Former doubles World Number one Kristina Mladenovic was defeated by second seed Karolina Pliskova. The Czech Pliskova maintains her unbeaten run on the Tour in the year 2020, and she advanced into the second-round of the Australian Open.