Garbiñe Muguruza has started 2021 in the best possible way. With a victory in the first round in the doubles draw of the Abu Dhabi tournament that started yesterday and will last until next Wednesday. The tennis player of Gipuzkoan origin played against the American Jennifer Brady, 72 of the WTA, with whom she spent 96 minutes on the court. They faced the North Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Muguruza and Brady won 4-6, 7-6 (3) and 10-8. In the second round they will face the winners of the confrontation, which takes place today, between the Russians Ekaterina Alexandrova and Yana Sizikova and the American Desiras Krawczyyk and the Chilean Alexa Guarachi, sixth favorites.
You have to go back to the Federation Cup to remember the last time Muguruza played a doubles match, more than a year and a half ago. It was with his compatriot Carla Suárez, with whom he has played the most doubles matches. With her, Muguruza won three of her five titles and was runner-up at the WTA Finals in 2015.
On the individual level, the tennis player debuts today against the French Kristina Mladenovic, the 50th of the WTA. The Spanish and the French have already met on three other occasions. Mladenovic won two of those games. The last confrontation was in 2019 in Monterrey, with Muguruza as the winner. The also Spanish Paula Badosa, number 70 in the WTA, 23 years old, has started her career in the Abu Dhabi tournament with a victory against the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova by 6-2, 5-7 and 6-2.
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