Spanish tennis star Garbine Muguruza faced a difficult challenge against unseeded Swiss Donna Vekic to begin her US Open campaign. She needed two tiebreakers to seal another first-round victory over the 25-year-old, as the match ended with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).
Despite tasting phenomenal success in other Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open has often been a bogey tournament for her. After advancing to the second round, Muguruza spoke about her celebration after her victory over Vekic.
Garbine Muguruza was overcome with emotion after victory over Vekic
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Although Muguruza broke Vekic’s serve for the first time in the sixth game, the Swiss responded immediately with a break of her own. Following that, neither could break the other’s serve until they played the tiebreaker, which Muguruza won 7-4.
The second set also saw an intense battle, as the Spaniard raced to a 3-0 lead after breaking Vekic’s serve in the second game. However, the 25-year-old Swiss scored a break late on in the set to stay in the hunt. Ultimately, the second set also needed a tiebreaker, which Muguruza won 7-5.
After sending an emphatic forehand cross-court, the ninth seed let her emotions show with a loud scream. She yelled, “Come on! Vamos!” before shaking Vekic’s hand at the net.
During the post-match interview, Muguruza mentioned how her track record hasn’t been the best in Flushing Meadows. In addition, she mentioned how her celebration was because of a lot of emotion.
Muguruza on her MP celebration: "It was a very good win. It’s a Slam that historically, it's not my strongest. I was so pumped to go out there.
"So, yeah, it was a tough match. I had a lot of emotion and it was a good celebration. Yeah, I'm happy with the way I played." https://t.co/Z7Cj72edVF
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 30, 2021
She said, “It was a very good win. It’s a Slam that historically, it’s not my strongest. I was so pumped to go out there. So, yeah, it was a tough match. I had a lot of emotion and it was a good celebration. Yeah, I’m happy with the way I played.”
READ MORE: “Summer in Madrid”: Garbine Muguruza Adorably Shows Off Her Dance Moves
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Muguruza to face Andrea Petkovic in the second round
In the second round, the 27-year-old will face former World No. 9 Andrea Petkovic. Despite being unseeded in this year’s US Open, the German will be a threat as she has defeated her Spanish opponent in all three of their matches.
However, the last time they played was in 2016, the year Muguruza won her first Grand Slam at the French Open. Can the Spaniard seal her first victory over Petkovic to advance to the third round?
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