Garbiñe Muguruza has always liked to settle accounts with the rivals who endorse her painful defeats. It is the case of Kaia Kanepi, who eliminated the Spanish with a comeback in the first round of the last Roland Garros. This Wednesday, in Toronto, the current WTA Finals champion dropped the 37-year-old Estonian and 31st in the world with a double 6-4 in 93 minutes that he should not hide the difficulties he had to win after saving 10 of the 12 break points that Kanepi had.
Without playing his best tennis, although with an accurate and frequent combination of serve and forehandGarbiñe overcame the stumbling block of a veteran who knows it all and will face the Swiss in the round of 16 Belinda Bencic, who precipitated the farewell of Serena Williamswho, if he does not change his mind, will not play this tournament again.
Muguruza had attitude, above all else. To stay calm and patiently move her rival, when she allowed her to enter into more or less long exchanges. The woman from Caracas was lucky to find a first break after raising a 40-0 in the second game, and that gave her the confidence to resist Kanepi’s furious blow, which in the end failed more than it should. The first set was won by Garbiñe after reacting to Kaia’s first break with her second after saving a 30-40 at 5-4 and closing the set to the rest.
repeated ending
The second round was even more complicated, because Kanepi started it with a 2-0 lead. He equaled Muguruza (3-3) and traced the end of the first, by raising a 15-40 and breaking the Estonian’s serve by taking advantage of her first match point. He needed a victory like that, after losing several games that he had well on track so far this season. A triumph that can give him confidence for the remainder of the championship and, above all, ahead of the US Open.
