The Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player drops out at the first substitution against Elise Mertens (3-6, 7-6 and 6-1), records five defeats in a row and will disappear from the top 80 of the WTA ranking
Garbiñe Muguruza has not yet won a match this season, so there are three tournaments where the Spaniard falls consecutively in the first round. In the first Grand Slam of the year, Muguruza had a chance to start the campaign with a good feeling, but the spirit of the past few months returned to her head and she was defeated in a match she was on schedule against the Belgian Elise Mertens (3-6, 7-6 and 6-1).
His executioner is number 32 in the WTA rankings, having beaten Muguruza on the two occasions they have faced each other, both on hard courts. The first solid set from the Spaniard, who had her serve to close the match at 5-4 in the second set, but doubts re-emerged from a player with a level of confidence that doesn’t exist today. The Belgian did not miss the opportunity to take the tiebreak of the second set.
Mertens, who does not have a brilliant game, confined himself to putting in the ball and despairing of a Spanish woman who put attitude, but with a game that is very far from what it was not long ago. In the third and final sleeve, Muguruza blamed the heat and distrust, and the Belgian went over her to finish the match 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.
Falling in the first round brings another negative consequence for the Spanish, who, by not being able to match the second position she reached in 2022, will lose many points and fall below the top 80 of the WTA ranking . This determines the rest of the season for Muguruza, who will start outside the main draw in some tournaments.
«I will have to make an appropriate calendar with my ranking. I will also try to play the best tournaments, but if I can’t, I’ll look at other, lesser ones. I will appreciate this kind of tournament,” he explained in the press room after falling on the first exchange.
“I think it’s been a mixture of tension and fatigue. Physically I noticed a decline and she has come up,” concluded the Spaniard, who blamed the high temperatures and lack of confidence in the third and final set.
At 29 years old, Muguruza still has a lot of tennis ahead of him. Grand Slam winner and finalist and WTA Finals champion just two years ago, she will have to find a way to turn around this constant blocking situation.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
