Garbine Muguruza produced a faultless display to thrash Maria Sharapova 6-2 6-1 and progress to the semi-final of the French Open for the second time.
The only other time when the Spaniard reached the last four was in 2016. That year, she went on to win the trophy and she is looking in excellent shape to repeat the feat in 2018.
Most of the tennis world expected a close contest. However, Sharapova made three double faults to gift Muguruza an immediate break and the Spaniard never looked back.
She broke the Russian for the second successive time by outlasting her in a 12-minute game, and then comfortably held serve three times to seal the set.
Muguruza on a roll
The second set was even more one-sided, as Muguruza won 16 of the 21 points played when Sharapova was serving. Consequently, the two-time French Open champion did not manage to hold serve at all.
It started in the first game, as the Spaniard returned superbly to earn a break. Then the Russian briefly threatened to get a foothold in the match by breaking straight back.
However, it was a false dawn for Sharapova, as Muguruza took her serve apart three more times to finish off a remarkably easy victory.
It was the first time the Spaniard had ever beaten the Russian, and the 2016 champion can now look forward to a semi-final meeting with Simona Halep.
Sharapova gracious in defeat
“(Muguruza) did a lot of things better than I did,” Sharapova said in her press conference. “I think she was the aggressive one.”
“She had a lot more depth on the ball. I think my shots were a lot more forced. She served a lot better than I did.”
The Russian also commented on Muguruza’s response to winning the French Open in 2016. She said, “There is a lot of time for adjustment that happens once you become a Grand Slam champion.”
“But it seems like she’s handling it well. She’s already won a second one.” And who would bet against the Spaniard winning a third Grand Slam title on Saturday?
