Round 3: No. 18 Victoria Azarenka (BLR) vs. No. 9 Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP)
Arthur Ashe Stadium — Day Session — First Match
- Three-time US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka and Garbiñe Muguruza earn top billing in Arthur Ashe Stadium Friday for a contest that pits two Grand Slam champions and former No. 1s battling for a spot in the Round of 16. Their head-to-head stands at 2-2, the last meeting falling in Muguruza’s favor in Rome last year.
- While Azarenka has found success at the US Open in years past (she’s 42-13), Muguruza has struggled of late (9-8). That’s not to say that the Spaniard typically falls short at the majors. In addition to her 2016 Roland Garros and 2017 Wimbledon titles, Muguruza has reached the finals of a Slam on two other occasions—2015 Wimbledon and 2020 Australian Open. Prior to this week, the only time Muguruza has won back-to-back matches at the Open was her Round of 16 showing in 2017, indicating that she has yet to crack the code on how to translate her game to the fast courts of New York.
Watch: Azarenka vs. Paolini, Round 2 Highlights
- Azarenka’s hopes are backed by three appearances in the US Open finals (2012, 2013, 2020), and while she leads the field in career US Open wins, Muguruza is on a hard-court hot streak of her own with a record of 26-8 this season.
- Though only five years separate the two women, it can be a large gap in tennis years. To put it in perspective, when Muguruza made her US Open debut in 2012, Azarenka was already No. 1 in the world and made her first run to the final in Flushing Meadows. While experience could be Azarenka’s advantage in this matchup, Muguruza is also feeling more and more comfortable in New York.
- Said Muguruza of her relationship with this tournament: “I feel like I have always come super prepared and for whatever reason, I don't know, my game didn't click. At the beginning it took a lot of energy for me just to be in New York and handle everything. And with the years, I don't know, I learned a little bit more. I feel now I enjoy more to be here. I feel like I know the surface more. I know more how to manage and handle everything.”
Watch: Muguruza Press Conference, Round 2
