Why Garbine Muguruza Will Be Serena Williams’ Biggest Challenger in 2016

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 15, 2015

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Serena Williams stands alone at the top of women’s tennis, her monarchy unchallenged by a true rival.

That may soon change if Garbine Muguruza continues her rapid ascent.

While players like Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova have won their share of Grand Slams, they’ve never really become reliable threats against Williams. The world No. 1 is a combined 23-3 against those women, including a lopsided 18-2 in her head-to-head with Sharapova. It’s tough to call either of them rivals when their matchups are so one-sided.

As Williams, 34, enters the last few years of her career, someone will eventually take over her mantle. We’ve waited (and waited) for contenders to emerge, but the trio of Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic all lack the requisite firepower and aggression.

Enter Muguruza.

The 22-year-old Spaniard is tall, muscular and athletic, using every part of her frame to impale the ball and keep opponents on the defensive. Her heavy ground strokes are imposing enough, but her results this year are more noteworthy.



Muguruza burst onto the scene at the 2014 French Open where, appropriately enough, she ousted Williams in the second round. That titanic upset gave fans a glimmer of her potential, which she’s increasingly made good on this season.

Like any young player, Muguruza still hasn’t totally mastered the concept of consistency. Yet her peaks have been darn impressive. At Wimbledon, she not only made the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career, but also her maiden final. By storming past accomplished foes Angelique Kerber, Wozniacki, Timea Bacsinszky and Agnieszka Radwanska, she booked a showdown with Williams for the championship.

Just by reaching that point, Muguruza became the first Spanish woman to make a Grand Slam final in 15 years. Against an in-form Williams, expectations weren't especially high. To ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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