Muguruza stunned by qualifier in 2nd round
USTA condemned for giving Cornet code violation for changing her shirt on court
Czech qualifier Karolina Muchova stunned two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza at the US Open yesterday morning (Singapore time), dumping the Spaniard out in the second round.
Muchova, who came into the match against the 12th seed with a world ranking of 202, was understandably nervous but grew into the contest and eventually prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 27 minutes.
Muguruza, a former world No. 1 who has triumphed at Wimbledon and the French Open, showed plenty of her Grand Slam pedigree by racing into a 5-0 lead as she appeared on course for a routine victory.
The Spaniard closed out the opener in 37 minutes and few of those watching the match unfold would have predicted what was to follow.
Muchova, playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time, quickly turned the tables at the start of the second set, evening up the contest after she opened a 3-0 lead on the back of some brave shot-making.
"It's the first match for me on such a big stadium so I was feeling nervous. Somehow I got used to it, I don't know how," the 22-year-old said in a courtside interview.
"I don't even know. I was surviving but I think the (fans) helped me a lot."
After she settled, Muchova displayed an adept ability to mix up her play, slogging it out from the baseline before picking the right moments to charge the net.
Muguruza, a traditional baseliner, tried to change her tactics but Muchova kept her at bay with a mix of passing shots and lobs every time the Spaniard ventured forward.
We regret that a code violation was assessed to Ms Cornet yesterday. We have clarified the policy to ensure this will not happen moving forward.The USTA, admitting they were wrong to hand Alize Cornet a warning for slipping off her shirt on court.
Overall, Muchova hit eight aces and 41 winners as she rallied from a break down in the deciding set to seal victory and claim the biggest win of her career as the clock ticked past 1am at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Next up for the Czech is a third-round meeting with Australian 18th seed Ashleigh Barty.
Two-time Australian Open champion and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 runner-up, made the third round for the first time in three years with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Australian 25th seed Daria Gavrilova.
Azarenka was among the first players to condemn the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for handing French player Alize Cornet a code violation for changing her shirt on court on Tuesday.
The incident sparked an immediate storm over sexism. The Belarusian said the USTA displayed double standards for sanctioning Cornet while male players routinely remove their shirts courtside as the heat and humidity bite.
"If I would say my true feelings, it would be bleeped out, because it was ridiculous. It wasn't anything disrespectful," said Azarenka.
The USTA admitted they were wrong to hand Cornet a warning for slipping off her shirt on court after realising she had put the garment on back-to-front during a heat break.
The WTA said Cornet "did nothing wrong" as the USTA went into damage limitation.
"We regret that a code violation was assessed to Ms Cornet yesterday," said the USTA in a statement. "We have clarified the policy to ensure this will not happen moving forward. Fortunately, she was only assessed a warning with no further penalty or fine." - REUTERS.
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