Muguruza survives a close one in Moscow against Martincova

Garbine Muguruza faced a very inspired Tereza Martincova at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow but hung on to win the match in 3 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Garbine Muguruza arrived in Moscow after a very disappointing showing in Indian Wells where she got bested early in the event. The Spaniard was looking for a good result to solidify her position in the race and take a huge step forward towards qualifying for Guadalajara. She got the chance to improve on that in Moscow and despite a shaky start ultimately won her first match.

Tereza Martincova is a tricky player that has been playing consistent tennis throughout the 2021 season and she once again proved a very tough out. The Czech player was up early and big against Muguruza who entered the match very slowly. 4-1 was the lead of MartiKncova but once finally warmed up properly Muguruza simply took over. She reeled off 5 games in a row to win the opening set with 6-4.

The 2nd one was a proper and fierce battle between two players who were giving it their all. Muguruza applied heavy pressure early but Martincova hung on to keep the score 2-2. Garbine broke her opponent in the next game but also allowed herself to get broken so it was tied up at 3-3. After that Martincova started hitting the ball very cleanly and took a 5-3 lead which became a 6-4 2nd set win.

The final set started with the players trading breaks early after which Muguruza established herself as the better player. She took a 4-2 lead and also took a double break up at 4-2 but Martincova battled back. The Czech player showed the typical fighting spirit she always shows while on the court. The Czech took a brief MTO for some cramps and after the match continued Muguruza finished it off with 6-3.