Garbine Muguruza: Wimbledon champ digs deep to sink Venus Williams

Garbine Muguruza is the new Wimbledon ladies singles champion after she beat Venus Williams in straight sets to claim the Venus Rosewater Dish for the first time.

The Spaniard won an intriguing contest 7-5 6-0, with the first set lasting almost an hour and the second barely 20 minutes under a closed roof on Centre Court.

The turning point came when Muguruza saved two set points as she trailed 15-40 with Williams leading 5-4 in the first.

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The Spaniard, who had struggled badly with her forehand in the opening games of the match, finally clicked into gear and after rescuing that game went on to win the next eight games to embarrass the five-time champion 6-0 in the second set.

The end came when Muguruza challenged a shot from Williams that was called in but was proved to have been long.

It was a peculiar end to a peculiar match that saw the romantics' dream of a fairytale weekend of wins for veterans Williams and Roger Federer go up in smoke.

But Wimbledon has a new darling in the form of Venezuela-born Muguruza who bashfully admitted after the match that she "grew up" watching Williams play.

Although the comment drew laughs from the crowd and a rueful smile from Williams, it is demonstrably true.

Muguruza began playing tennis at the age of three in Caracas, the same year that Williams made her Wimbledon debut.

She and her family moved to Spain in 1999 when she was six, and the following summer Williams won the first of her five titles at the All England Club.

Williams' last Wimbledon crown came in 2008, long before Muguruza had even begun her career. It was also her first appearance in the final since 2009.

Muguruza has also appeared in the final at Wimbledon before, in 2015, when she was beaten by Venus's sister Serena.

This success was not her first in the Grand Slam, however. She also won the French Open in 2016.

After that win she had been tipped for great things, says Charlie Eccleshare in the Daily Telegraph.

"Results, however, had largely failed to meet expectations until this year, when she has rediscovered the sort of form to suggest this will not be her last Grand Slam success."

Muguruza had "had shown little sign of Major-winning form" over the past year, says Mike Dickson of the Mail on Sunday. But she "carved out a tight first set and then drove home the advantage in the second by finding a potent mix of aggression and resolute defence".

It was a performance that suggested "she is likely to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come".