(Tennis news) Garbine Muguruza overcame a rough patch in the opening set to beat Barbora Krejcikova at Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara. Both the players had lost their opening matches and were looking for a must win to stand a chance to qualify for the semifinals. The pair has met four times as all of them have come this year, Muguruza had lost to Barbora in their previous match at US Open and also at Cincinnati but now has two wins over Barbora. Muguruza had a slow start as she hit only two winners in the first set as Barbora looked in form.

In the second set, Muguruza took a leap forward in the second set with a 4-1 lead as Barbora again found her form as she recovered by taking two games in a row to make it 4-3 and put Muguruza under pressure. Muguruza did not falter as she took the set as the crowd got ready for a decider and was cheering for Muguruza as she took an early lead. Barbora could not pace up with Muguruza but was right behind her in the set as Muguruza finally won the match. Muguruza defeated Barbora 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"I felt like in the first set I wasn't doing enough," Muguruza said. "Every time I served she would break me or I would not dominate. I feel like the serve is such a weapon here in the altitude. I had to do something different. I concentrated a lot on making those first serves at least so I could hold my serve, then try to break her. That was definitely the key today."

Anett Kontaveit recorded a second straight bagel as she beat Karolina Pliskova for the first time in their fourth meeting as the pair last met at Indian Wells in 2019. Kontaveit is looking to be a strong contender for the title as she has now a 12 match winning streak and defeated the most experienced player in the draw. Pliskova’s serve was not the usual as she had four aces in the match while Kontaveit won 24 of her 29 first service points. Pliskova has become the first player this time to book her place into the last four as three more spots remain.

"I think I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was 3-0 down in previous matches against Pliskova. I think every time you step on the court, you have a new opportunity. The previous matches don't really matter. It's a new day and you have to beat the player you're playing against. That's how I approach the match.

The first set saw the veteran filled with energy as she matched the speed and strength of Kontaveit, but luck came into play in the final game of the first set as Pliskova was 30 love serving at 4-5 when a net cord denied her a point as Kontaveit struck at the final hour to take the set. In the second set, Kontaveit was hitting winners off her backhand and forehand as it didn’t matter whether it was Plikova’s service or her strokes. as Kontaveit took the last eight games and wrapped up the match in under an hour. Kontaveit defeated Pliskova 6-4, 6-0.

In doubles, Andreja Klepač and Darija Jurak got their first win of the tournament in a nail biting match which involved 22 points in the first set as they defeated Zhang Shuai and Samantha Stosur. Zhang and Samantha have now lost both their opening matches and won’t be able to qualify for the semifinals. Andreja and Darija defeated Zhang and Samantha 6-7(10-12), 7-6(7-4), 10-5.

Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara have booked their place in the semifinal with a well fought victory against Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Demi Schuurs. Aoyama and Shibahara came back from early deficits in both the sets and needed 8 match points as they finally rallied to secure a place in the last four. Nicole and Demi put up a good fight but now will have to wait for two more days to know about their semifinal status. Aoyama and Shibahara defeated Nicole and Demi 6-4, 7-6(7-5).

Also read: Paula Badosa marks debut with thumping over top seed Aryna Sabalenka at Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara