Garbiñe Muguruza writes her name in gold letters in the history of national tennis by being the first Spanish to win the Masters Cup (WTA Finals), beating Estonian Anett Kontaveit (6-3 / 7-5).

The best moments of a historic night

The tension in the environment was palpable. Muguruza knew herself to be a favorite, carrying favoritism along with the weight of history in her backpack. Even the coincidences played in favor of the pressure endured by the 28-year-old tennis player, who was born just over a month before the historic final of Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the same tournament. He had in his hand to write a glorious page in Spanish tennis, reaching where no one had previously gone, and that weight was noticeable in the first games.

Muguruza began looking the story in the eye, unnerving her rival. Despite this, the exchange of blows, heavier due to the conditions in which the match was played, the Spanish did not take off on the Estonian scoreboard at the beginning in which both players managed to break the service of their rival. Although Kontaveit was a worthy rival, Muguruza knew that the match was on her head. He was dominating, it only remained to wait for the award.

With the three-way tie on the scoreboard in the first set, the Spaniard once again managed to break her rival’s serve. This time his rival could not escape him, he had to squeeze a Kontaveit that added more unforced errors than usual due to Muguruza’s dominance. About 40 minutes into the game, Garbiñe’s poise, worthy of the number one that he is, did the rest: the next three games were an exhibition of the Spanish, ending the first set of the match with a spectacular balloon. The backpack weighed less and writing a new page in the history of Spanish tennis was closer.

The start of the second set was just as the first set ended, but fate put a stone in the way of the Spanish. After a first blank game in her favor, Muguruza fell, making her ankle strange. Although she recovered quickly, it was evident that she was not comfortable because of that misstep, resenting her mobility. Kontaveit took advantage of it, taking the next game, and, when he was close to taking the lead on the scoreboard for the first time, Muguruza slammed on the table to overcome the point.

Kontaveit continued to squeeze, yet the frustration was evident on his face. The Spanish was in control of the situation, and, although she could put more land in the way if it weren’t for a couple of unforced errors, she looked closer and closer to history. Despite this, tennis, a cruel sport where it exists, made Muguruza’s backpack begin to weigh more and more. When the Spanish was close to putting an almost definitive 4-2, Kontaveit took advantage of the vertigo of his opponent to, now like this, put himself ahead in the electronic with a painful 3-5.

In these moments, when defeat seems the most obvious option, is when legends are forged. Muguruza had an extraordinary reaction, winning the next three games to put the second set with a 6-5 that brought the title closer to the Venezuelan-Spanish. Her reaction, worthy of the legends of this sport, took Kontaveit ahead in the last game, winning him blank to consecrate herself as a teacher among the teachers in Mexico. Now, with the backpack lighter than ever, it is possible to say out loud: Garbiñe Muguruza is a legend of Spanish tennis and opens the debate on whether she is the best player in our history.