Their Wimbledon third round meeting was not the first between Angelique Kerber, the former fourth-ranked woman in the world from Germany and Garbiñe Muguruza, the 21-year-old Venezuela-born Spaniard. In fact, it was the fifth – with two previous matches in 2015 alone. The trend was clear: Kerber thrived on faster courts, winning their three battles on harder surfaces, while the slower conditions of the dirt favored Muguruza, who prevailed at Roland Garros, only a few weeks back.

But trends and streaks exist to be reversed and broken. Moreover, in such a balanced and deep field as is WTA’s nowadays, upsets of players other than Serena Williams come as no surprise, and that’s what one of the most intriguing third round matchups of the first week graced us with: a three-set drama on which the younger, lowest ranked woman came out on top.

The first set was as tight as it gets. Kerber drew first blood, breaking Muguruza in her first game serving and consolidating shortly after for a 3/0 lead. However, as soon as the Spaniard went down 0-40 in the fourth game, the momentum, somewhat ironically, was about to swing her way. A forced error from her opponent, a forehand winner and an ace evened the game, and she went on take the zero off her name on the scores. The next game, the top-10 stood no chance: a love break put Muguruza back on serve, and despite facing two more break points when serving down 2/3, she held to tie the game. From that on, servers dominated, and six games later, they were headed to a first set tiebreaker – much because the Spaniard’s play facing break points, as she saved 11 of 12.

The decider was a proof of resilience. It was Kerber who mini-broke first, for 2-1. Muguruza, however, fired a forehand winner to mini-break back. After sloppy play from both players, it was the 10th seeded woman who had the first set point, serving at 6-5, and the second, returning at 6-7. The German had a third chance to clinch the frame at 8-7, before the Spaniard had her first, at 9-8. Both women alternated set points squandered, before at 13-12, with the 21-year-old Spaniard serving, Kerber lost a point on a forced error, gifting the set away.

In the second set, the German was determined to take all the chances she wasted in the frame prior. Despite her opponent holding to open the set, the German then steamrolled, reeling on six straight games to morally breadstick Muguruza and level the match in one-set apiece.

In the final set, however, Kerber looked like she had ran out of steam and had little left in the tank. The German even held the opening game of the frame, but that ended up being the last time she led in the match. Muguruza streaked her way to three consecutive games, and despite her opponent holding for 2/3, the Spaniard won two more games, which had her in position to serve for the fourth round at 5/2.

Not without a drama. Kerber forced a break point at 30-40, and then again two points later, as the world number 20 double faulted. However, the Spaniard regrouped, and relied on a forehand winner to seal the deal and assure her place in the second week of the grass Grand Slam.

Muguruza will now face former rankings leader Caroline Wozniacki, the fifth seed of the tournament. The Caracas native has the edge on their head-to-head, 2-1. Both women seek their first Wimbledon quarterfinal.