Luxury Watches – Muguruza, Bencic ready to rock the women’s tour, Hub

Tue, Feb 09, 2021 – 5:50 AM

IF last year’s Australian Open was any indication, it proved that Rolex Testimonee Garbine Muguruza remains a force to be reckoned with in women’s tennis.

The 27-year-old Spaniard reached the showpiece final of the Grand Slam, and came very close to winning her third career Major.

Muguruza has certainly come a long way since her family – in an effort to further her tennis career – uprooted from her homeland Venezuela to Spain when she was just five years old. She soon began training at the Bruguera Tennis Academy near Barcelona.

Those early sacrifices have certainly paid dividends over the years. Ever since she turned professional in 2012, she has won seven singles titles along with two Grand Slams – Roland-Garros in 2016 and The Championships, Wimbledon in 2017.

Her success in Wimbledon was especially notable as it made her the first player to beat both Serena and Venus Williams in major singles finals. Later that year, Muguruza rose to the pinnacle of the women’s tour when she proudly claimed the World No.1 ranking after her Wimbledon triumph.

Muguruza has had an interesting off-season as she fulfilled a childhood dream by undergoing military training for the first time with Spain’s Civil Guard police force. She participated in helicopter rescue missions, self-defence classes and even cave-diving during her stint.

With her laser-sharp focus both on and off the court, the hard-hitting Muguruza – now ranked 15th in the world – is ready to conquer the sport once again.

Another player who is in line for a breakthrough season is fellow Rolex Testimonee Belinda Bencic, who reached a career-high of fourth in the world a year ago and is currently ranked 12th.

The 23-year-old Swiss starlet has displayed remarkable resilience throughout her young career. The right-hander reached the US Open quarter-finals as a 17-year-old in 2014 and won the Rogers Cup the following year before a series of injuries halted her progress.

But she rebounded with impressive fortitude, enjoying her best season to date in 2019, highlighted by semi-final appearances at the US Open and the season-ending WTA Finals, a return to the top 10 rankings and receiving the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award.

Being from Switzerland, Bencic is naturally often compared to former World No.1 Martina Hingis. Both players are also of Slovak descent and Bencic was even coached by Hingis’ mother.

With four singles titles in the bag, the next big step for Bencic to take this season is to win her maiden Grand Slam. Known for her tenacity and determination on the court, as well as an insatiable hunger for trophies, Bencic is shaping up into one of the tour’s most formidable opponents.