Guadalajara, Jalisco, November 12, 2021.- Tonight the Czech Barbora Krejcikova and the Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza face off in the AKRON WTA Finals – each looking for their first win as part of the Teotihuacán group. Krejcikova, the second seed of the tournament, was upset in her debut by Estonian Anett Kontaveit, while Muguruza, the sixth seed, fell to Karolina Pliskova, the most experienced in the Finals. This meeting is essential for both, as the loser of the match will go 0-2.
The Spaniard has a 1-2 record against Czech; their three clashes were all this year: Muguruza won the final in Dubai, while Krejcikova came out as the winner in Cincinnati and the US Open.
Garbiñe, who on opening day had the full support of the Mexican crowd, is motivated to compete in her second round of this tournament due to the fact that the round-robin format allows you to have more opportunities. “I am super motivated – all the players who are here, I have beaten them (she has only never had to face Paula Badosa), the circumstances are difficult, but the round robin format gives you more opportunities and you have to take advantage of that.”
Krejcikova, who is also competing in doubles, commented on her physical condition, “I am handling the physical issue very well. I try to keep cool and do my best to recover as soon as possible. But, I’m very happy to be playing singles and doubles, it’s a good experience. I have more time and more opportunities to adapt and play better tennis.”
The Czech is the only player in the draw to win a Grand Slam this year after conquering the French Open. She also won the tournaments in Strasbourg and Prague. Barbora just competed in the Billie Jean King Cup in her home country (where she lost both of her matches).
Muguruza, one of the favorites of the Mexican public, won two tournaments this year: one in Dubai and the other one in Chicago. She wants to play her best in the Finals this year; she made the semifinals in both the 2015 and 2017 editions.