Gabrine Muguruza returns to winning ways with Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships win
Having exploded onto the scene as one of the most exciting young WTA tennis players in her generation, Gabrine Muguruza looked to be the next prolific winner of trophies. However, the Spaniard has endured a two-year drought of trophies as she waited to lift her eighth WTA Singles title. With Grand Slam success in the past, every defeat was met with the same assumption: that sooner rather than later, she would get it together and win again. Well, that time has arrived – Muguruza is a WTA winner again.
She sealed her first WTA singles title in a two-year spell with a win in Dubai against Barbora Krejcikova in a high-endurance battle of wits. It was an exciting match-up, pairing two excellent professionals who were hungry for another title. However, as part of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships history, this match will go down as a key moment in the playing career of Muguruza. She is now well and truly back within the winning cycle.
The No. 9 seed for the event was seen as a likely victory as the number of players began to whittle down and favourites dropped over. Her win seen her overcome Krejcikova in an impressive 7-6(6), 6-3 win. After the match-up, the former No. 1 was clearly emotional and happy to break her long-standing duck of failure when it mattered most. This was her first title since a win in Monterrey in April 2019.
Defeats in the 2020 Australian Open Final and also losses in the Qatar Total Open just last week had left her wondering if the days of trophy wins were over. After a professional victory over her opponent, though, Muguruza can say for sure that she is back.
What did Muguruza say after the win?
Speaking after the trophy presentation, Muguruza spoke of her relief in bringing her barren run of trophies to an end, saying: “It means a lot, it’s never easy to win titles. It doesn’t happen often, and I’m excited that it happened now, after a few finals that didn’t go my way. A nice relief to be able to hold a champion’s trophy.”
“It was such a tight match. It could have gone either way. I feel like the finals are very hard, the two best players of that week, and I had to work hard for it tonight. Very happy about it.
“I always believed every time that I go out there, I’m one of the players that can get the trophy. There is proof this week, yes, but I’ve always believed that, in good moments and in bad moments.”
After a gruelling 2h 8m match-up, Muguruza ended up cracking the code and winning the first trophy in a long time. For a player of such obvious talent, it was a surprise to see her go so long without a win, given she has won Grand Slam titles in France and in England.
Now, the fire is back, trophies are returning, and Muguruza will fancy her chances of avoiding another long-term drought without silverware.
