Advertisement

French Open champ Garbine Muguruza falls in Wimbledon second round

Garbine Muguruza fell to Jana Cepelova in a stunning upset. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Garbine Muguruza fell to world No. 124 Jana Cepelova in a stunning upset. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

World No. 2 Garbine Muguruza, who beat Serena Williams less than a month ago to earn her first major title, fell in the second round of Wimbledon in a massive upset.

The world No. 2 was completely out of sorts Thursday against world No. 124 Jana Cepelova, losing 6-3, 6-2.

Cepelova asserted her dominance over the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up from start to finish, and sent Muguruza home in just under an hour.

“I think my energy was missing a little bit today,” Muguruza told reporters after the match. “Today during the match, and after the match, I’m like, it’s a tough day today. I feel empty a little bit, and I start to be sick. But I think it was a little bit of a combination.”

Muguruza struggled to look like the aggressive, powerful player that won her the French Open over Serena Williams. Instead, she appeared timid and flat-footed on the faster surface, failing to move across the court and badly mistiming routine shots.

The 22-year-old Spaniard had played only one match on grass since her Roland Garros win, losing in the first round of the Mallorca Open.

Cepelova’s win over Muguruza was her third over a top-three ranked player. She topped then-world No. 3 Simona Halep at last year’s Wimbledon and bested Williams at the 2014 Charleston Open.

Muguruza denied that pressure to follow-up her French Open win played a role in her Wimbledon exit.

“No, not pressure,” she said. “I think for sure more expectations from other people. But honestly, for me, I just was very clear it was going to be a rough tournament for me after winning a grand slam and coming here. Everybody like looking at me.

“One day it’s going to go my way, another day no. Hopefully, my consistency will improve and I’ll be able to be deep in all the tournaments.”