Yarra Valley Classic: Garbine Muguruza to renew rivalry with Ashleigh Barty in final

Garbine Muguruza will play the final of the Yarra Valley Classic against Ashleigh Barty on Sunday in Melbourne. The Spaniard defeated the eighth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-0 in the semi-final.

Muguruza, who’s seeded sixth in the draw, has lost just 10 games in the four matches she has played in the tournament. She’s yet to lose a set in the event. The former world no. 1 hit 19 winners and had just 10 unforced errors against Vondrousova. The Czech, on the other hand, finished with merely five winners, and 22 unforced errors. The world no. 15 made good on five of the 11 break points she had while facing none on her serve. Muguruza finished the match with more than twice as many points as Vondrousova – 55 to the latter’s 24.

In her on-court interaction with the media after her win, the two-time Major champion said, “I'm very happy for sure. I think I played well today. My serve was working in the right moments and I felt like, since the beginning of the match, I could take control of the points.”

Yarra Valley Classic: Garbine Muguruza vs Ashleigh Barty

Earlier, Barty reached the final on Friday itself after her semi-final opponent, the fifth-seeded Serena Williams pulled out of their match with an injury to her right shoulder.

The Yarra Valley Classic final will be the fourth meeting between Garbine Muguruza and Ashleigh Barty, with the world no. 1 leading their head-to-head 2-1. The 2019 French Open champion also won their most recent match, at the 2020 Qatar Open. The results of all three previous encounters between Muguruza and Barty have been determined only at the end of the third set. Speaking about their upcoming clash, Muguruza said, “It's always good to play the top players, especially the No.1 right now. We've had tough matches, so I'm expecting another battle.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3pVPtqq