Garbiñe Muguruza managed to survive a strange and problematic match against a rival he had never faced, Bernarda Pera, a player who came from the previous one and before whom he had to come back twice to win by 1-6, 6-0 and 7-5 in just over two hours. In eighths of WTA 1,000 from Rome he will meet the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, a rival who is not usually good at it.
The Spanish recovered from a bad first set after being treated for some discomfort in her right legThe good theoretically, because it was the left that forced him to retire in Charleston and not play in Madrid. She came out bandaged and, nevertheless, passed over the 26-year-old American and 69th in the world. With a donut he equalized the match and also won the first game of the third quarter.
When he seemed to be launching towards a comfortable victory, he entered a period of disconnection that made him fit a 0-4 and take a foot and a half out of the game. But a second reaction was taken out of the hat to equalize four and score a suffered triumph with a final break for the final 7-5 thanks to a couple of errors by Pera in a poor quality match and with many errors from both tennis players. Now, Garbiñe, whom no one can accuse of a lack of fighting spirit, will try to recover to be able to compete against rivals of greater weight, of which they do not grant so many opportunities for redemption.
Sorribes succumbs to Sabalenka
Sara Sorribes, who had just won in the longest WTA match of the year (3:51) the Italian Camila Giorgi, endured with great merit for more than one set the continuous percussion of the recent champion of the Mutua Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka, who finally won 7-5 and 6-1. The Spanish had 14 break opportunities, but could only take advantage of one in the first round and lost her serve four times, the weak point of her game. In the second set she threatened to achieve another break in the first two remains, long games that did not fall from her side and increased the confidence of the Belarusian, who is intractable and removes the thorn from her two previous performances in Rome, in which did not pass the first round. It will be measured in the eighth with Coco Gauff. Sorribes could compete next week in one of the tournaments leading up to Roland Garros.
Results WTA 1.000 Rome.