Six weeks ago, Garbine Muguruza crashed out of the French Open in tears, losing her Roland Garros crown in front of a hostile crowd rooting for her opponent.
But the Spaniard rebounded to take her first Wimbledon title Saturday as she overpowered 37-year-old Venus Williams, 7-5 6-0 in the Wimbledon finals.
Williams, a five-time champion who had been trying to become the oldest winner of a major in the Open era, had squandered two set points at 5-4 in the first set.
After Williams lost a 19-shot rally on the second set point, the Spaniard ran away with the match as the American struggled to find her range.
Muguruza’s triumph comes two years after she lost to Venus’s younger sister, Serena, in her maiden grand slam finals at the All England Club.
For her coach, Conchita Martinez, it must have been a case of deja-vu. In 1994, Martinez spoiled the party for Martina Navratilova, who had been trying to win her tenth Wimbledon crown at the age of 37.
