Garbine Muguruza captured her first WTA Finals trophy by defeating Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-5. With this straight-sets win at the Akron WTA finals, she became the first Spanish athlete to achieve such a feat in the championship match. By beating the No. 6 seed, Muguruza secured her third title of the season and became the oldest woman to win the event since Serena Williams in 2014. This dominant display allowed her to finish the year ranked No. 3 globally.
Garbine Muguruza defeated Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-5 to claim her first WTA Finals title. Garbine Mugurua became the first-ever Spanish player to win the year-ending championship match in straight sets at the Akron WTA finals. The Spanish star defeated No.6 seed Kontaveit to capture her third title of this year. Muguruza became the oldest champion at the age of 28 since Serena Williams in 2014.
She finished the season at No. 3 in the rankings after a dominating win.
Having qualified for the season-ending finals four times, Muguruza finally reached the championship match this year. She played with a level of intensity and precision not seen since 2017, when she sat atop the rankings. This victory represents the 10th singles title of her career. Her journey to the finals was supported by a track record of success, including championships in Monterrey during 2018 and 2019.
Coming into the match, Muguruza held a mental advantage as the only player to have beaten Kontaveit twice in the last 30 days. The final featured the season's top two hard-court performers, with Kontaveit (39 wins) and Muguruza (35 wins) battling for supremacy. Muguruza's serve was a key weapon, winning nearly 70% of her first-serve points. She also exerted significant pressure on the Estonian's second serve, winning 60% of those points, while Kontaveit managed only 38% against Muguruza's second serve.
Despite the pressure of the biggest match of the tournament, Kontaveit struggled initially but managed to find her rhythm in the second set. Though she managed to break Muguruza's serve in the seventh game, she couldn't maintain that momentum. The two-time Grand Slam champion, Muguruza, stayed resilient, hitting a powerful forehand winner in the tenth game to tie the set. Ultimately, the Spaniard's consistency was the difference, committing 14 fewer unforced errors than her opponent.
The opening set was a nerve-wracking affair with several early breaks of serve. Muguruza gained the upper hand at 4-3 after a backhand error from Kontaveit, and from that point, she took full control, sweeping the final four games. Kontaveit struggled significantly with her serve in the first set, losing it five times.
The second set began in Kontaveit's favor, as Muguruza struggled with her forehand. Utilizing her aggressive baseline game, the Estonian built a commanding 5-3 lead. However, Muguruza fought back to level the score at 5-5. Even though Kontaveit broke again in the ninth game, Muguruza responded by breaking back twice in a row to clinch the match.
Earlier that day, the doubles title was decided as Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-4. The Czech duo continues their impressive run, adding this victory to their successes at the Tokyo Olympics, Madrid, and Roland Garros.