The Spaniard controlled the match against Kaia Kanepi at key moments and prevailed by a double 6-4
His rival will be Bencic, who left on the way a Serena Williams who said goodbye to the tournament in tears
the spanish tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza qualified for the round of 16 of the Canadian Master held in Toronto by defeating the Estonian on Wednesday kaia kanepi in two sets, 6-4 and 6-4. Muguruza, eighth in the world ranking, is the last Spanish representative in the Canadian tournament, after the withdrawal this Wednesday of Paula Badosa (4), who suffered a cramp during her first match of the competition, and the elimination of Sara Sorribes Tormo, which was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Muguruza started the match well, breaking Kanepi’s serve (31) at the first opportunity. The Spanish took advantage of the irregular serve of the Estonian to place 4-1 on the scoreboard. The Estonian reacted, breaking the Spaniard’s serve and scoring three straight games that tied the match 4-4. The Spanish, who was now the one with problems with her serve, would end up committing four double faults in the first set to two by Kanepi. This time it was Muguruza’s turn to respond. And she did it by winning two straight games and the set 6-4.
At the start of the second set, Muguruza continued to struggle to hold serve and lost serve in the first game. Kanepi held serve and took a 2-0 lead in the second set thanks to long balls and corners that left Muguruza vulnerable. In the next two games the players held their serve. But with it 3-2 in favor of Kanepi and the service in the hands of the Estonian, Muguruza pressed and snatched the serve.
With a 3-3 on the scoreboard, both players knew that the seventh game would be crucial. With Muguruza serving, Kanepi forced the 40 equals three times, but finally the Spanish won the game and took the lead 4-3. From there, Muguruza controlled the pace. In the next two games, both players held their serves. But in the tenth game, with a 5-4 in favor of Muguruza and Kanepi at the service, the Spanish placed 15-40. He did not miss the opportunity and the first time he took over the game and the match.
Serena Williams says goodbye with tears
Serena Williamswho on Tuesday announced his imminent retirement from sports competition, said goodbye to Toronto on Wednesday night with tears after being eliminated by the Swiss belinda bencic. Williams, who will turn 41 at the end of September and has just returned to the competition after more than a year of hiatus, was defeated by Bencic in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4.
Bencic, number 12 in the world, only needed 77 minutes to eliminate the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, 23, and who has won the Canadian tournament three times in the past. The Swiss player, who will now face Muguruza in the next round of the Canadian tournament, scored eight direct service points and won 84% of her first serve.
With the serve as her main weapon, the Swiss controlled Williams without problems, who in the entire match only had one opportunity to break her opponent’s serve, something she could not achieve. For his part, Bencic broke Williams twice in the first set. In the second set, Williams settled more on the court and stood up to the Swiss until in the seventh game, Bencic broke the American’s serve again.
As soon as the match ends, Williams thanked with tears in his eyes the support of the public Canadian and said he would have liked to have played better. Williams explained that she is not good at goodbyes, as she already pointed out in the letter published on Tuesday in Vogue in which she announced her retirement from tennis. “But goodbye, Toronto,” said the tennis player, adding that she had always enjoyed the Canadian city “on and off the court.” “I’ll be back as just a visitor. But otherwise, it’s been amazing. I’ve had some really amazing games here and some really fantastic wins,” she added.