Curse and controversy

The US Open once again resisted Garbiñe Muguruza. He is the only one of the four Grand Slam in which he has not been able to reach the quarterfinals and will have to try again next year. Because this Sunday he lost against Barbora Krejcikova, current champion of Roland Garros, 6-3 and 7-6 (4) in a match that started at around 11:15 p.m. local time, ended at 1:10 in the morning and lasted 1:53 with an ugly ending. During the greeting with the network there was a crossword in which the Spanish recriminated him to the Czech to go eight minutes to the locker room due to supposed respiratory problems when she was in the middle of a comeback, with 6-5 in favor in the second set. “That’s very unprofessional,” she said when Krejcikova thanked her and apologized.

The fact is that Garbiñe could not counter much of the match the game of the 25-year-old tennis players, who has an amazing facility to hit with very little movement, practically parry, and a lot of placement and depth, also with the serve, skills that come from his extensive experience as a doubles player. In a state of grace, Krejcikova is going through the best season of her career in singles, in which she has three titles and 42 victories, to one of the 43 for the leader of the year, Ashleigh Barty, and the same as her next rival, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who also got rid of the Belgian Elise Mertens on the fast track (6-4 and 6-1 in 1:11).

The game was twisted to Garbiñe from the beginning, with an initial 3-0 that he managed to wipe out in what was a kind of mirage, because then Krejcikova endorsed another identical set to win the first set. The second set started even worse for the Caracas, who did not smell the ball in the first four games. With the game lost, he let go to put the 5-4 in his favor, with the best feelings on his part, and aspire to equalize the game, with a fury that devastated his opponent, reddened and afflicted with flatus, shortness of breath and dizziness. Before, she had raised three set points and, despite the suffocation and after being treated during those eight minutes in the locker room, Krejcikova returned, won her blank serve and closed the door of the comeback to Muguruza in a cruel tiebreaker in which she failed to take advantage of her apparent physical advantage.

Comeback without prize

The number nine in the world avoided at least with chaste and fighting spirit a dishonorable donut and regained pride against an opponent who has eaten up her morale. And that in their first match, in the final in Dubai a few months ago, Muguruza won. Now the player from Brno dominates 2-1. Garbiñe closes the Grand Slams campaign with a discreet balance: eighth in Australia, first round at Roland Garros, third at Wimbledon and eighth at the US Open. Ahead is, in principle, the WTA 1,000 of Indian Wells (October 6 to 17), because this course there are no Masters.

Results, table and schedules.

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