Muguruza overthrows Bencic at Tokyo event

After the second round shocking exit from the US Open to a qualifier, Garbine Muguruza gives a splendid performance at the Japanese capital city, Tokyo. Sadly, it was the first time in six years for Muguruza to lose to a player a qualifier. At the Flushing Meadows, She lost to Karolina Muchova, who was ranked outside 200. Earlier, she conceded a defeat to the World Number 312 Gibbs in the qualifiers at 2012 New Haven.

The Spaniard delivered a  6-2, 6-4 victory against the Swiss, Belinda Bencic in 84 minutes of time. She avenged her 2015 quarterfinal loss to Bencic in the  Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. This year, Bencic had come across Venus Willians in the first round of the Australian and Caroline Garcia at the Wimbledon. At the beginning of the year 2018, Bencic bartered Roger Federer in a mixed doubles event at the Hopman Cup. Bencic’s unforced errors had outnumbered her winners by a unit of eight. The sixth seed, Muguruza held three out of four break points against the Swiss in the first. Additionally, her backhand returns were spellbinding and kept the audience glued to their seats. 

Besides her upsets, this season it is the fifth consecutive main draw appearance for Muguruza in Tokyo and she wrapped up her 24th WTA victory of the season. This year Muguruza looks forward to stepping into the third semifinals of the Japanese tournament. Previously, in the years 2014 and 2017 she lost to the Dane, Caroline Wozniacki and both the times falling to the Dane in the last four stage. Moreover, the only Spaniard in the draw of the Japanese event, Muguruza may have the chances to become the second Spanish woman to reach the final in Tokyo after Sanchez Vicario, who was a finalist in 1990 and 1996. The Spaniard would next meet the Canadian,  Eugenie Bouchard or Alison Riske in the second round. 

Apart from the Spaniard, the Slovak, Dominika Cibulkova is through to the next round. She surpassed Nao Hibino 6-1 5-7 6-3 in the opening round. She will now meet the newly-crowned US Open champion Naomi Osaka from Japan in the second round. Cibulkova made her tenth main draw appearance at Toray Pan Pacific Open.