Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Tennis player Garbiñe Muguruza, aged 22, defeated Serena Williams 7–5, 6–4, on Saturday to win the 2016 French Open women’s final in Paris.

The victory was Muguruza’s first Grand Slam title, and improved her world ranking to second behind Williams in women’s tennis. She became Spain’s first women’s Grand Slam champion since Arantxa Sánchez Vicario won the French Open in 1998.

Muguruza won the first set 7–5, breaking early in the set to grab a 3–2 lead. Williams was down 3–1 early in the second set; the Spaniard completed the set 6–4. For Williams with 22 Grand Slam titles, it was a second consecutive Grand Slam loss.

Muguruza and Williams played in last year’s Wimbledon final, with opposite results — Williams won. After the match, Muguruza said, “I can’t explain with words how this day means to me. You work all your life to get here”. Williams, appearing upset after the loss, thanked her coach and said they would “try again next year.”

In Williams’s first Grand Slam competition this year, she lost the Australian Open final to Angelique Kerber, two sets to one.