Muguruza survives epic scare in US Open first round - but claims she'll need 'miracle' to make final
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Updated 29/08/2016 at 22:37 GMT
Spanish tennis superstar Garbine Muguruza almost pulled out of the US Open at Flushing Meadows after suffering with illness – but battled back to make it safely into the second round.
Garbiñe Muguruza at the 2016 US Open
Image credit: AFP
The 22-year-old, seeded third for the tournament, clearly didn't look right as she took to the court against Elise Mertens of Belgium.
Muguruza lost the first set, and afterwards took a lengthy time-out during which she was tended to by several members of her team.
She carried on, however, and made a startling recovery to take the next set 6-0.
A ten-minute heat break followed that quickfire set, perhaps helping the Spaniard's recovery still further, and while Mertens battled gamely in the decider Mugurza held firm to win 2-6 6-0 6-3.
She didn't have much faith in her abilities after the match, however, saying in a courtside interview that "it'll take a miracle" for her to reach the final.
Muguruza claimed the French Open earlier this year, beating Serena Williams in the final to cap a memorable surge to prominence which first began in earnest when she made the final at Wimbledon in 2015, only to lose to Williams.
Next up for the third seed is Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova, the world number 48 – if she wins, she will be through to the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time ever.
And losing the first set on Monday could even prove to be a good omen: Muguruza lost the opening set in her first match at the French Open, then won the title without losing another set after that.
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Highlights: Muguruza battles past Mertens
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