In a week of upset and drama, Garbiñe Muguruza was a picture of calm and serenity. And she had good cause to be, too: she had just booked her place in the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea.
It took 70 minutes, just long enough for the Spaniard to show the good people out on No.2 Court that she is very, very good and her form is looking very, very solid.
Now, keep this to yourselves, but there are those in the know who fancy Muguruza’s chances this year. In the absence of Serena Williams and in light of Angelique Kerber’s recent travails, the draw had not so much opened up as flung wide its doors to welcome all comers. No one has known where to look for a favourite this past week: The Club is knee deep in them.
If you are wondering why the lack of one player can rip up the form book so spectacularly, you only have to look at the response of Serena to the news that she was expecting her first child.
She admitted that her “heart dropped” when, just before the Australian Open began, she realised that she was going to become a mum. As she explained to Vanity Fair magazine, her initial thought was: “Oh my God, this can’t be... I had planned on winning Wimbledon this year”. “Planning” on winning Wimbledon?
Other players “hope” to win Wimbledon, they “dream” of winning Wimbledon. Serena pencils it into her diary and puts on her ‘to do’ list along with the grocery shopping and booking a hair appointment. The mighty Ms W has been so dominant here over the years that it is no wonder the locker room goes into a flap when she does not turn up.
So, who will fill her shoes this year? Muguruza presented her credentials two years ago by reaching the final and losing to… oh, who else? Serena. The following year she chalked up her first Grand Slam success by winning the French Open and beating… ah, you are there already: Serena (are you sensing a theme here?).
But since that Roland Garros victory, Muguruza has struggled. Just as Kerber is learning that the whole business of being a Grand Slam champion takes some getting used to (although Kerber has the added complication of dealing with the pressure of being the world No.1, too). From standing on the glittering launchpad of the Court Philippe Chatrier, clutching the trophy and a route map to greatness, Muguruza’s fuse fizzled out and the rocket turned into a bit of a damp squib.
Because of this, she is keeping quiet about her chances here. She wants to follow the players’ mantra of ‘one match at a time’. Do not look too far ahead, do not think about what has happened in the past; just play the match in front of you and try not to think at all.
That said, she clearly has ambitions here. Having had a taste of the final two years ago, she has signed up Conchita Martinez to help her through her stay in SW19. And Martinez was not only the last Spanish woman before her to reach a Grand Slam final (the French Open in 2000), she is the only Spanish woman to win the Wimbledon title. It was back in 1994 and she beat the all-conquering force of the ladies’ tour in those days, one Martina Navratilova. Muguruza knows she has wise counsel in her camp for these two weeks.
With her mentor watching and with her head clear of doubt, the world No.15 set about Cirstea with appropriate gusto. Her ground strokes were fast and furious, leathering the ball into the corners with reassuring regularity, and her serve was heavy and accurate. It was all too much for her Romanian rival.
Cirstea has not been having it easy of late. For the past couple of years, she has been hampered by a shoulder injury, one that requires regular rehab and one that has caused her to abbreviate her service action. If beating Muguruza was going to be hard on a good day, beating her with a gammy shoulder was simply beyond her.
The joint favourite (but keep it to yourselves, you did not hear it from us) was cruising towards Manic Monday.
