Garbiñe Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title by overcoming Venus Williams in a women's final that was marked by long rallies and creative shotmaking in a gripping first set. Williams was unable to take advantage of early chances against Spain's Muguruza — who only grew more accurate and confident as the match progressed.

It's the second Grand Slam win for Muguruza, 23, who defeated Serena Williams in last year's French Open. Saturday's win comes two years after she lost on Wimbledon's Center Court to Serena Williams.

"Well done today. Beautiful," Venus Williams said on the court after the match, congratulating Muguruza. She added that she hopes to have more chances to add to her Grand Slam titles.

"I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible" to play her in the Wimbledon final, Muguruza said. For the record, when Williams turned pro in 1994, Muguruza was around 1.

At age 37, Williams lost a chance both to win her sixth Wimbledon singles title and to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. She won in women's doubles at this tournament last year, playing alongside her sister Serena.

This had been expected to be a close, tight match, and for most of the first set, it lived up to its billing. But Williams wasn't able to win a game in the second set.

Both players held their serves through the match's first 10 games — including a key save by Muguruza, who escaped the first break point for either player to keep it even at 3-3. In the next game, Williams successfully defended her own break point.

Williams finally faltered in the 11th game, hitting a shot long after a spirited rally to give Muguruza a 6-5 advantage that cleared the way for her to take the first set, 7-5. That was after Williams squandered two set points of her own against Muguruza's serve.

Williams unraveled from the start of the second set, losing on her serve to get into an 0-1 hole against Muguruza. Williams then sprayed unforced errors around the court in the next game, and despite recovering with some inspired shotmaking, she only won two points to create a 2-0 deficit. Muguruza then broke Williams' serve again in short order, taking control, 3-0.

By the end, Williams had hit into five double-faults and notched 24 unforced errors to Muguruza's 11.

The second set was over in a blur, with Muguruza hammering accurate shots and Williams struggling to regain any sense of momentum. Williams was able to save two championship points — but she lost on a challenge by her opponent, who successfully argued that Williams' backhand to the baseline had landed long.

Muguruza had reached this final with the help of her play at the net — she won 18 of the 24 points in which she approached the net in the semifinal. Against Williams, she created pressure from the baseline, using her forehand to move Williams around the court. And in response to some of Williams' ventures to the net, Muguruza was able to use an accurate backhand to foil the American.

The men's title will be decided Sunday, when Roger Federer will face Marin Cilic of Croatia.</s>LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Round-up of day 12 at the Wimbledon championships on Saturday:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I had I think the hardest match today against Venus, she is such an incredible player. I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible to play (her in) the final... Two years ago I lost in the final to Serena and she told me one day I was going to maybe win and hey, two years after here I am." -- Garbine Muguruza after beating Venus Williams 7-5 6-0 to win her first Wimbledon singles crown on Saturday.

FACT OF THE DAY: Muguruza is the first player to beat both Venus and Serena Williams in grand slam finals. She beat Serena in the final of the French Open in 2016.

STATISTIC OF THE DAY: Muguruza is only the second Spanish woman to win a Wimbledon singles title. The first was her coach at Wimbledon this year, Conchita Martinez, who won it in 1994.

PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Muguruza showed tremendous class and poise to pull away from Venus and win her maiden Wimbledon singles title. After saving two set points at 5-4 down in the first set, the Spaniard won nine games in a row to take it 7-5 and bagel her opponent in the second. (Compiled by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Rex Gowar)</s>Wimbledon: Garbine Muguruza defeats Venus Williams in final to claim second major singles title

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Sorry, this video has expired Video: Garbine Muguruza claims maiden Wimbledon title (ABC News)

It was a tale of two coaches and two sisters for Garbine Muguruza, as the Spaniard found the formula to steer her way through a barrage of high-intensity tennis against Venus Williams and claim her first Wimbledon crown.

The moment of truth came in the 10th game when her opponent Williams, 37 but playing with the energy of a teenager, threatened to cut loose after a captivating half hour of play.

The Venezuela-born 23-year-old faced two set points on her own serve but held her nerve to win them both, before reeling off the next six games against the seven-time major singles champion, a player she idolised in her youth.

"I was so excited to go out there and win, especially over somebody like a role model," said Muguruza following the 7-5, 6-0 victory that brought her her second major singles title.

With that comes the distinction of becoming the first player to beat both Venus and sister Serena in major singles finals.

That triumph over the younger Williams came at last year's French Open, which was followed by a dip in form that has transitioned from a gradual to a spectacular reversal over the past fortnight.

"I miss you. I tried my best to do the same things you do, but I think that there will be other opportunities, I do," Williams said after the match in a message to sister Serena, who missed out on defending her Wimbledon title as she is awaiting the birth of her first child.

A factor that helped Muguruza in her All England Club campaign has been the addition to her entourage of Conchita Martinez in the absence of regular coach Sam Sumyk, whose wife is expecting a baby.

"(It) is very hard to find a recipe to feel good fitness-wise, tennis-(wise), mentally. I think in this tournament I put everything together, which is very hard," Muguruza said.

The new champion met Martinez — who beat a 37-year-old Martina Navratilova in 1994 to become Spain's only previous Wimbledon women's singles winner — as she paraded with her trophy through the corridors beneath Centre Court.

The pair embraced like family before being joined for a patriotic photo opportunity by Madrid-born four-times men's major singles champion Manuel Santana, who lifted the Wimbledon crown in 1966.

"Obviously, I like Conchita to be in my team because I have a great relation with her," Muguruza said.

"We were very excited … the coincidence of her [beating] Navratilova, me [beating] Venus … was, like, awesome."

Did that mean winning the title without Sumyk had given Muguruza extra confidence?

"No, definitely not … I was talking with him every day … We've done a very good job before … I guess [him and Martinez] is a combination," she said.

And the underlying message for her regular coach was laced with humour.

Asked at courtside if she had anything to say to him, she held the trophy aloft and said: "Here it is."

Reuters

Topics: tennis, sport, england

First posted</s>Claire Liu, the No. 3 seed from Thousand Oaks, Calif., defeated the unseeded Ann Li, of Devon, Pa., 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

The last junior girl from the United States to win the event was Chanda Rubin in 1992, when Venus Williams was only 12. But there are indications that the United States is making progress among its female juniors.

Wimbledon was the second consecutive Grand Slam girls’ final between two Americans. Last month, Liu lost to Whitney Osuigwe, currently the top-ranked junior girl in the world, in three tough sets at the French Open.

And Kayla Day, who was the No. 1 seed here, won the United States Open junior event in September, defeating Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia in straight sets.

At Wimbledon, there were five Americans in the quarterfinals, including Sofia Sewing, Osuigwe, Liu and Day, who was upset by Li.

Liu trains at the United States Tennis Association’s facility in Carson, Calif., and there has been a belief among top U.S.T.A. coaches that she would become the best of the group. She also won two clay-court Pro Circuit titles in Italy before Wimbledon.

Sam Querrey, who made it to a semifinal of the men’s draw, is also from Thousand Oaks and said he frequently saw Liu at the training center in Carson.

“I’m stoked for her,” he said. “She’s really good.”

Liu said that training with the other young women in Carson, and also on tour with other players in the U.S.T.A. training program, has been beneficial because it spurs the competition in a teamlike atmosphere.

“We are all pretty good friends,” she said. “We try to train together a lot with the U.S.T.A. It’s really good to have a good group of juniors pushing each other.”

Liu is not physically imposing like the Williams sisters, or Garbiñe Muguruza, who beat Venus in straight sets in the women’s final on Saturday. But Liu plays aggressively, takes the ball early to attack her opponent and comes to the net, where her volleying is strong.

Osuigwe, the daughter of a coach, trains at the I.M.G. Academy in Bradenton, Fla. She is No. 1 in the International Tennis Federation’s junior rankings for now, and Liu is No. 2. Li trains at the U.S.T.A. center at Flushing Meadows. She does not have the pedigree of the others, but she showed great competitive grit Saturday, fighting off four match points before finally succumbing.

“The crowd was getting into it, and that kind of got me going,” Li said. “I was pretty nervous at first.”

The match was played in front of a healthy contingent of fans on No. 1 Court at the same time as Muguruza’s surprisingly easy win over Williams. At times during the match, the sounds of people cheering outside while they watched the women’s final on a large video screen could be heard, and when the unexpected scores were flashed inside the stadium, spectators gasped.

Liu won the first set easily, then served for the match at 5-4. She was up, 40-0, but then nerves began to rattle her play. She hit a backhand long and sighed, and then double-faulted. At 40-30, Li rocketed a forehand passing shot to get the game to deuce, and she eventually won the game with a blistering backhand.

After Li won the next game to make the score 6-5, Liu complained to the chair umpire about the last disputed point of the game and argued for the entirety of the changeover. She did not even sit down, instead standing in front of Li to question the umpire.

“I was just trying to mind my own business,” said Li, who broke Liu again to close out the second set in a thrilling game with five deuces.

But in the third set, Liu recaptured the flow, getting low to the grass while firing groundstrokes to break Li in the first game. When Liu won the match, she dropped her racket and fell onto her back in a celebration that she did not want to end. Her plan was to go to an Indian restaurant with friends.

“I just keep smiling all the time,” she said. “I still can’t even believe it.”

DOUBLES CHAMPIONS CROWNED Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo won the men’s doubles title, beating Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 13-11.

The match lasted 4 hours 40 minutes, only 21 minutes shorter than the longest Wimbledon men’s doubles final in history. It ended under a closed roof because of darkness.

With Saturday’s win, Melo, a Brazilian, will return to the No. 1 ranking in men’s doubles.

Both players won their second Grand Slam titles. Melo won the 2015 French Open with Ivan Dodig. Kubot won the 2014 Australian Open with Robert Lindstedt. (AP)</s>Garbiñe Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title by overcoming Venus Williams in a women's final that was marked by long rallies and creative shotmaking in a gripping first set. Williams was unable to take advantage of early chances against Spain's Muguruza — who only grew more accurate and confident as the match progressed.

It's the second Grand Slam win for Muguruza, 23, who defeated Serena Williams in last year's French Open. Saturday's win comes two years after she lost on Wimbledon's Center Court to Serena Williams.

"Well done today, beautiful," Venus Williams said on the court after the match, congratulating Muguruza. She added that she hopes to have more chances to add to her Grand Slam titles.

"I grew up watching her play, so it was incredible" to play her in the Wimbledon final, Muguruza said. For the record, when Williams turned pro in 1994, Muguruza was around one year old.

At age 37, Williams lost a chance both to win her sixth Wimbledon singles title and to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. She won in women's doubles at this tournament last year, playing alongside her sister Serena, who's in the final trimester of her pregnancy.

This had been expected to be a close, tight match, and for most of the first set, it lived up to its billing. But Williams wasn't able to win a game in the second set.

Both players held their serves through the match's first 10 games — including a key save by Muguruza, who escaped the first break point for either player to keep it even at 3-3. In the next game, Williams successfully defended her own break point.

Williams finally faltered in the eleventh game, hitting a shot long after a spirited rally to give Muguruza a 6-5 advantage that cleared the way for her to take the first set, 7-5. That was after Williams squandered two set points of her own against Muguruza's serve.

Williams unraveled from the start of the second set, losing on her serve to get into an 0-1 hole against Muguruza. Williams then sprayed unforced errors around the court in the next game, and despite recovering with some inspired shotmaking, she only won two points to create a 2-0 deficit. Muguruza then broke Williams' serve again in short order, taking control, 3-0.

By the end, Williams had hit into five double faults and notched 24 unforced errors to Muguruza's 11.

The second set was over in a blur, with Muguruza hammering accurate shots and Williams struggling to regain any sense of momentum. Williams was able to save two championship points — but she lost on a challenge by her opponent, who successfully argued that Williams' backhand to the baseline had landed long.

Muguruza had reached this final with the help of her play at the net — she won 18 of the 24 points in which she approached the net in the semifinal. Against Williams, she created pressure from the baseline, using her forehand to move Williams around the court. And in response to some of Williams' ventures to the net, Muguruza was able to use an accurate backhand to foil the American.

The men's title will be decided on Sunday, when Roger Federer will face Marin Cilic of Croatia.</s>Spain's Garbine Muguruza beat Venus Williams on Saturday to win her first Wimbledon title.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at five things to know about the All England Club's women's singles champion.

Muguruza is only the second Spanish woman to win the Wimbledon singles title and the first since her coach Conchita Martinez triumphed in 1994. Martinez joined Muguruza's team after her regular coach Sam Sumyk took time out to be with his pregnant wife.

She is only the second player to face both Williams sisters in the final of the same grand slam after Martina Hingis beat Venus to win the US Open in 1997 then lost to Serena at the same tournament in 1999.

Muguruza's mother Scarlet Blanco is from Venezuela and her father Jose Antonio is from Spain. She was born in Venezuela but moved to Spain when she was six and retains dual-nationality but her current residency is listed by the women's tour as Geneva in Switzerland. In 2014, she decided to play for Spain. Her favourite players growing up were Serena Williams and Pete Sampras.

No player in either singles draw at Wimbledon had a better percentage of saving break points than Muguruza. She showed her composure in the crucial moments by saving 21 out of the 25 break points she faced, 84 per cent, during the tournament.

Muguruza joins Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Petra Kvitova among the active female players on two grand slam singles titles. Only Serena Williams and Venus Williams, with 23 and seven respectively, and Maria Sharapova on five, have more.</s>Wimbledon champions Roger Federer and Garbine Muguruza have arrived at the champions’ dinner.

The event, which marks the end of the tournament, is taking place at the Guildhall, London.

Traditionally, the men’s and ladies’ singles champions celebrated their victories by dancing together.

But a spokeswoman for the All England Club said there was no dance floor at the venue, and that part of the evening was discontinued in the 1970s.

That might not stop the 2017 winners though.

On Sunday night Spain’s Muguruza tweeted “@rogerfederer are you ready to dance? #ChampionsDinner”.

The Swiss star replied: “Bring it on champ”, as well as posting a selfie of himself on the way to the dinner, dressed in a suit and tie.

The event will be a special night for Federer, who won his eighth men’s singles title at SW19 on Sunday, an all-time record.

He beat Croatian Marin Cilic in straight sets, in an emotional final.

Muguruza, 23, lost a Wimbledon final to Serena Williams two years ago, but came back fighting on Saturday.

She beat Venus Williams to win a second grand slam title.

In a post-match press conference, when asked who she would prefer to dance with at the dinner, Muguruza said: “Roger. And I like Cilic, I have to say seriously.

“But I want to see if he’s that elegant also dancing.”</s>Venus Williams revealed she will be backing Roger Federer to win a historic eighth title against Marin Cilic on Sunday and believes it’s ‘uncool’ to not be a supporter of the 18-time Grand Slam champion.

Williams, a seven-time major winner herself, was well beaten by Garbine Muguruza in the final on Saturday, going down 7-5 6-0 to the 14th seed.

But after her loss, her attention turned to the men’s singles final on Sunday and she admitted she would much prefer Federer to beat Cilic as he looks to become the most successful male at the All England Club.

‘I’ve always been a Federer fan,’ she said.

‘I think if you’re not, it’s kind of uncool.

‘So I wish him the best of luck.’

While 2017 ladies’ singles champion Muguruza was not quizzed on who she thought would win the title, she was posed a slightly different – and stranger – question about the men’s finalists.

When asked which of them she’d like to dance with on the Sunday night, she responded with a light-hearted: ‘Oh come on!

She continued: ‘Roger. And I like Cilic, I have to say seriously.

‘But I want to see if he’s that elegant also dancing.’

MORE: Garbine Muguruza responds to becoming first player to beat Serena & Venus Williams in a Grand Slam final</s>(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth). Spain's Garbine Muguruza returns to Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova, during their Women's Singles semifinal match on day nine at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Thursday, July 13, 2017.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth). Venus Williams of the United States returns to Britain's Johanna Konta, during their Women's Singles semifinal match on day nine at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Thursday, July 13, 2017.

LONDON (AP) - As a kid, Garbine Muguruza sat in awe in front of the TV as the Williams sisters accumulated Grand Slam titles. They were her role models.

Now Muguruza is all grown up, an emerging tennis star in her own right - and, as of Saturday, the only woman who can boast of beating each Williams in a major final.

Muguruza powered her way to her first Wimbledon championship by playing fearlessly and dominating down the stretch, putting together a 7-5, 6-0 victory over a fading Venus Williams by claiming the final's last nine games.

"It's great to go out there and play somebody that you admire," Muguruza said. "I knew she was going to make me suffer and fight for it."

This was Williams' 16th Grand Slam final and ninth at the All England Club. At 37, she was bidding for her sixth title at the grass-court major, 17 years after her first. And she was so close to gaining the upper hand against Muguruza, holding two set points at 5-4 in the opener. But Muguruza fought those off and never looked back.

"She competed really well. So credit to her," Williams said. "She just dug in there."

For Muguruza, this final was her third at a major.

In her first, at Wimbledon in 2015, she lost to Williams' younger sister, Serena. But in her second, at the French Open last year, Muguruza again faced Serena - and won. That was the most recent final Muguruza had played in at any tournament until Saturday, an indication of the sort of up-and-down 12 months she's had.

But with stand-in coach Conchita Martinez pushing her to play each point on its own merits - don't look back, don't think ahead - Muguruza was able to regain her best form these two weeks. Taking the ball early, being aggressive from the start of each point and not relenting, Muguruza did to Williams what the American and her sibling often do to their opponents.

Here was how Muguruza's on-court approach was described by Spanish Fed Cup and Davis Cup captain Martinez, whose 1994 Wimbledon title was the country's most recent for a woman until Saturday: "She's very brave."

"I was just very composed," the 23-year-old Muguruza said. "Once I go to the big court, I feel good. I feel like that's where I want to be, that's what I practice for. That's where I play good. ... I'm happy to go to the Centre Court and to play the best player. That's what motivates me."

With the roof shut because of rain earlier in the day, each thwack of racket strings against ball by the two big hitters created echoes around the old arena.

Williams began the proceedings with an ace. But Muguruza showed she would not be overwhelmed, returning a serve at 113 mph (182 kph) on the match's second point, and another at 114 mph (184 kph) in the third game - then winning both ensuing exchanges.

Still, Williams was so close to taking the first set, ahead 5-4 while Muguruza served at 15-40. On the first chance, a 20-stroke point ended when Williams blinked first, putting a forehand into the net. On the second set point, Williams sent a return long.

It was as if getting out of that jam freed up Muguruza - and failing to capitalize deflated Williams, who didn't win a game the rest of the way.

"She was getting every one of Venus's shots back. Not only getting it back, but it was deep in the court," said David Witt, Williams' coach, who thought nerves affected his player. "Venus kept having to play that one extra ball."

Williams began spraying shots to unintended spots, while Muguruza stayed steady. Williams finished with 25 unforced errors, 14 more than the champion.

It ended when Williams hit a shot that landed long, but was ruled in. Muguruza challenged the call, and after a bit of a delay, the review showed the ball was, indeed, out. Made to wait to celebrate, Muguruza eventually dropped her knees and covered her crying eyes.

Soon enough, Muguruza was shown her name on the list of winners in the stadium's lobby - "Finally!" she said - and being greeted by former King Juan Carlos of Spain.

It was an anticlimactic conclusion to the fortnight for Williams, Wimbledon's oldest female finalist since Martina Navratilova, 37, was the runner-up to Martinez in 1994. Williams hadn't made it this far at the All England Club since 2009, hadn't won the title since 2008.

"A lot of beautiful moments in the last couple of weeks," the American said.

Muguruza can say the same, of course, and she was particularly thrilled at the thought of the player she beat to earn the trophy.

"When I knew I was playing Venus in the final, I was actually looking forward (to) it," Muguruza said. "Something incredible."

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Tennis is a game where you can see the end coming from a long way off. Unlike most other major sports, you can’t turn defeat into victory on a single play. But tennis is a sport of momentum, where one point can kick loose an avalanche.

 Saturday morning at Wimbledon’s Centre Court, Venus Williams had that moment in front of her, had that opportunity to begin the final march to her eighth major, her first in nearly a decade. Up double set point on Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, Williams tried — and failed — to hang in on a 19-stroke point, a rally in which Muguruza preyed on Williams’ forehand. The point slipped away, the game slipped away, the set slipped away, and soon enough, the match slipped away. Muguruza claimed the 2017 Wimbledon championship by a 7-5, 6-0 margin that wasn’t even that close.

 Take nothing away from Muguruza, a deserving Wimbledon champion. Both she and Williams faced early-match jitters, but Muguruza was able to face hers down, to harness her nerves and come back from two different double break points, including that double set point. Emboldened by her own resolve, Muguruza scorched the Wimbledon grass with a closing performance as exceptional as it was relentless.

 Williams, by contrast — saying she’d achieved so much just to reach this point seems to damn her with faint praise, but the simple fact is that she’s 37 years old, nine years removed from her last singles title at Wimbledon. In those nine years, she’s suffered injury, disease, and most recently the trauma from a traffic accident that claimed the life of an elderly man last month in Florida.

 Her opponent was 14 years her junior, and after that crucial double set point eluded Williams’ grasp, the difference in age became apparent. Muguruza reeled off nine straight games and absolutely crushed the last of Williams’ hopes.

 By the fifth game of the second set, having won just 10 points in the entire set, Williams appeared lost. Muguruza broke Williams with four straight points on the basis of a pinpoint backhand and an arcing forehand that found their mark point after relentless point. With the match on her racket the next game, up 40-love, Muguruza gave Williams the faintest hint of daylight, surrendering two points, before claiming the title on an anticlimactic challenge. Williams’ shot had sailed long, as a camera’s replay indicated, and Muguruza’s domination was complete. She now has the distinction of having won both of her majors, this year’s Wimbledon and last year’s French Open, by defeating the Williams sisters.

 “I had the hardest match today against Venus,” Muguruza said after the match. “She’s an incredible player. I grew up watching her play,” and then smiled as the crowd laughed at the implied age difference.

 The future for Muguruza stretches bright and wide — aside from the looming return of Serena Williams, pregnant and out all year — but for Venus, the road ahead is rockier. How much world-class tennis does she have left? How many more chances will she have to claim another major? She wants to play in the Tokyo Olympics, which would be the 20th anniversary of her first gold in Sydney; does she have enough left to claim that? First, though, she’ll reunite with her family en route to becoming an aunt. Asked after the match for any message to her sister Serena, Williams smiled wistfully. “I miss you,” she said, choking back tears. “I tried my best to do the things you do, but I think there’ll be other opportunities.”—AFP
In tennis, Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain defeats Venus Williams of the United States 7–5, 6–0 to win the women's singles tournament. It is Muguruza's second Grand Slam title after her win in the 2016 French Open.