‘Oh wow!’ – Garbine Muguruza secures historic and personally meaningful WTA Finals crown
Garbine Muguruza emerged the victor in a history-making championship match at the WTA Finals, her first title at the prestigious event.
Whoever won between the Spaniard and Estonian Anett Kontaveit would have made history with their triumph.
No woman from either nation had ever won the event. One Spanish woman had appeared in the final before, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1993, but she lost to Steffi Graf that year.
This time around, the Spaniard was on top, Muguruza winning in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 to win her first ever WTA Finals title.
“Oh wow!” Muguruza began, still astounded by her win. “I have to start by congratulating Anett [Kontaveit] for her incredible year and run in the last tournaments.
“Congratulations, that was amazing. Sorry that we had to play twice! Congratulations to you and to your team.”
Kontaveit came into the WTA Finals off the back of 26 wins in her last 28 matches, plus back-to-back titles immediately before the tournament.
Muguruza and Kontaveit had already played in the group stage in Guadalajara.
The Spaniard won that day too, 6-4, 6-4, to see herself through to the semi-finals.
“I just want to say a fun thing,” she continued. “I remember when Steve (Simon, head of the WTA) and I were at the US Open.
“And he told me that Guadalajara could be a possibility for the Finals and I was like ‘Oh my God! I have to make it!’ And, look now, we’re here.”
Muguruza was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and her mother is Venezuelan.
She said before and throughout the tournament how happy she was that the event was being held in Latin America.
“For me it was just a dream come true to play here, thank you,” she added.
The title is Muguruza’s biggest since her second Slam triumph at Wimbledon in 2017.
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