Muguruza makes winning return
Originally published on 03/08/17 00:00
In her first outing since lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish in SW19, the Spaniard overwhelmed her youthful American opponent. The top seed will face Ana Konjuh in the quarter-finals. The Croatian defeated Natalia Vikhlyantseva 7-5 6-4 to earn a shot at the two-time Grand Slam winner.
“[Wimbledon] is just another tournament,” Muguruza said after her swift victory. “I know it might sound weird – because of course winning it gives me confidence – but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to come here and win because I just won Wimbledon
“I’m just working on trying to forget what happened and just starting Stanford. Stanford is my goal, and that’s it.”
Madison Keys is also through to the last eight after 3-6 6-2 6-3 triumph over fellow American, Caroline Dolehide. The big-hitting 22-year-old will be eager to kick-start his season in California.
Maria Sharapova’s comeback stalled once again as she was forced to withdraw from the tournament prior to her second round clash with Lesia Tsurenko. “Towards the end of Monday night’s match, I felt pain in my left forearm,” said the Russian. “After yesterday's scan, the doctor recommended I don't risk further injury. Monday night’s crowd was so special and I wish I could continue playing, but I have to make a preventative decision.”
At the WTA International event in Washington, D.C., Eugenie Bouchard snapped a four-match losing streak as she surpassed Christina McHale 7-6(6) 6-0. The former Wimbledon finalist trailed her opponent by a break in the opener however she bagged 11 of the last 12 games to secure a morale-boosting win.
“I realised halfway through the first set that I was holding back a little back,” admitted the Canadian. “She (McHale) was the one dominating the points and that’s not how I like to play. I think I was a little bit nervous as I hadn’t played a match in a while so I just told myself to let loose a little bit and it helped a lot."
There were also found round success for Kristina Mladenovic, Sabine Lisicki, Monica Niculescu. In the second round matches, No.7 seed, Ekaterina Makarova defeated Monica Puig 6-2 6-4, Oceane Dodin outlasted Sara Errani 3-6 7-5 6-1 and Julia Goerges won an energy-sapping encounter with Alison Van Uytvanck 3-6 6-3 7-6(9).
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