Muguruza eases to title win, denies Halep No. 1 spot

Cincinnati : Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza fine-tuned her preparations for this month’s US Open by crushing Simona Halep 6-1 6-0 in the Cincinnati Masters final on Sunday. Muguruza’s tennis was as hot as the summer sun in the early afternoon match on the outdoor hardcourt, as she wrapped up victory in less than an hour. The Wimbledon champion kept her opponent pinned to the baseline and improved her career record to 3-1 against the Romanian second seed.
With the loss, Halep once again fell one win short of rising to the top of the world rankings. The Romanian, looking to supplant Karolina Pliskova from the top spot, entered the final without dropping a set all week but on Sunday her game fell apart.
Halep’s second serve proved to be a liability, winning only 11 percent.
Spaniard Muguruza, who had failed to capture a title for more than a year following her triumph at last year’s French Open, is now celebrating winning two trophies in as many months. “I like the big matches. I believe I play well there. I’m happy to be there, happy to be in that situation. When I was a little girl I was dreaming to be there. That’s where I want to play,” Muguruza said. Halep, who also squandered a chance to climb to the top of the world rankings when she was beaten in the French Open final in June, acknowledged she had performed poorly. “I played so bad today and Garbine played so well,” Halep told the crowd. “I will come back next year and try to do better.”