By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday March 29, 2021
Bianca Andreescu topped Garbine Muguruza in three sets to push into the quarterfinals at the Miami Open .
Photo Source: Getty
Garbiñe Muguruza set the tone early, and Bianca Andreescu raised her level to meet the challenge. The Canadian, playing in just her third event since her return from a one-year hiatus due to a knee injury, put forth an impressive display to surge past Muguruza and notch a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Monday night in Miami.
"I'm very pleased considering how I was feeling at the beginning of the year in Australia,” Andreescu, who improved to 7-2 on the season, said. “It wasn't easy, and I just told myself that I had to trust the process and stay patient, and I think that's showing here in Miami. Garbiñe played really, really well. I don't think I started the way that I wanted to, but I just tried to stay as positive as I could and I kept fighting."
It was a fierce battle from the onset, with Muguruza taking the opener behind 8 of 9 second-serve points won and just five points dropped on serve in the full set.
"It's always satisfying getting that three-setter, especially after losing the first set," Andreescu said. "So to me what I was super happy about that match was how even when I'm down -- and I knew this about myself. Even when I'm down I know I can find a way. Most of the time, not all of the time. Most of the time I can always find a way and come back and do really, really well. I keep proving that to myself, and it's really nice to get that under my belt."
But the success on serving didn’t last, nor did Muguruza’s momentum. Andreescu, energized, reached another level and was consistently the aggressor as the run of play shifted and the Canadian began to consistently trample Muguruza’s serve, often ripping second-serve return winners or pegging the Spaniard back with heavy drives and the occasional drop shot to mix things up.
Andreescu was 15-40 down at 1-1 in the second set, but rallied from there and locked down nine of the next 11 games. Eventually the pressure just seemed to be too much for Muguruza. Andreescu waltzed out to a 4-0 lead in the decider and never looked back.
It was a jaw-dropping performance from the 20-year-old, and a reminder that when Andreescu is healthy she is one of the most talented and explosive forces on the WTA Tour.
Muguruza was disappointed with the loss but is taking the positives from a brilliant start to the season. She says she remains confident and is eager to play on the clay, her favorite surface.
“I think it's been great,” she said of her start to the season, which has seen her go 20-5 with a title in Dubai. “I mean, so far probably my best start of the year, and happy about that. I take the positive. I know right now it is a tough moment, but, you know, in five minutes I'm just going to change my mind and, you know, just look ahead of the clay court which is my favorite surface and, yeah, happy with the way I'm playing.”