Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, China

Women’s Final: [CR8] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) vs. [CR24] Venus Williams (USA)

Both players were injured going into the final and each was unsure how they would perform.  How severely would their game be affected by their respective injury? Unfortunately, it significantly impacted Muguruza’s game.  She was not only physically hampered, she was also mentally distracted by the injury and was unable to perform at her best.  Unable to move freely, she was could not position herself behind the ball and many times this resulted in an unforced error. The first set went quickly and easily to Williams, who was also impaired by her own injury.

The second set did not last more than three games.  Muguruza was broken in her first service game. Frustrated by her lack of mobility, after a brief period of contemplation, she decided to retire from the match.  It was an unfortunate end to the match, especially after both players had fought through their injury to get to the final. Williams came away with her second title of the year with the 6-3, 3-0 (RET) defeat of Muguruza.  In addition, Williams will see an increase in her ranking on Monday as well as an increase in her chances of making the WTA year-end Finals in Singapore.  At 35 years, Williams continues to prove that she is still a force to be reckoned with. Despite her ranking, her results this season confirm that she is once again a threat.