Venus tips Muguruza to go higher
Print Edition
SEVEN-TIME grand slam-winner Venus Williams said yesterday that Garbine Muguruza can “keep going higher” after the Spaniard soared to fourth in the world rankings following her victory at the China Open.
Williams, 35, beat the 22-year-old Spaniard when she retired from this month’s Wuhan Open title match, but she said the Wimbledon finalist had the talent to keep rising.
“She really has so much talent — she can keep going higher,” Williams told media in China’s Hong Kong ahead of her campaign at the Hong Kong Open.
The physically imposing Muguruza downed Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-4 in Beijing on Sunday to win the biggest title of her career. Afterwards, she said she had designs on becoming world No. 1.
The Spaniard is just one point behind world No. 3 Maria Sharapova, who withdrew from the China Open with a left forearm injury. Bacsinszky also cracked the top 10 for the first time as she jumped up seven places from 17th.
However Muguruza, who has also qualified for the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore later this month, has dropped out of the Hong Kong Open with an ankle injury — clearing a big obstacle for Williams.
The American is currently 11th in the wide-open Road to Singapore rankings, but she still has a chance of reaching the eight-player season finale.
“The field is really deep, there’s a lot of top players but I feel like I have a good opportunity,” Williams said yesterday ahead of her first-round match against Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliya Beygelzimer.
Also today, world No. 10 Angelique Kerber will take on former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone, and ex-world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic plays Romanian qualifier Ana Bogdan.
Yesterday’s first-round matches saw Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, Lee Ya-hsuan of Chinese Taipei and Puerto Rican Monica Puig all advance.
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