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Game, Set, and Match Muguruza 7-5, 6-4. Muguruza seals a maiden Grand Slam title with an inch-perfect lob and falls to her knees as the tears are flowing. Muguruza has now become only the second ever Spanish women to win the French Open.
40-0: Williams hits a passing shot long to bring up three championship points.
30-0: Muguruza draws Williams out wide and forces her to hit wide.
15-0: Williams misses a forehand long.
Williams escapes four championship points to hold for 5-4, forcing Muguruza to serve for the title.
AD-40: Williams hits a big forehand winner behind Muguruza.
40-40: Williams throws in a stunning double fault.
AD-40: Muguruza misses a backhand return.
40-40: Williams misses a forehand long to put Muguruza two points from the title.
AD-40: Muguruza misses a backhand long and Williams has game point.
40-40: Muguruza misses a backhand return.
40-AD: Williams misses a drop shot to bring up another championship point.
40-40: Williams hits a huge forehand winner to save championship point.
40-AD: Williams misses a backhand to bring up a third championship point.
40-40: Williams saves a match point with a big serve.
30-40: Muguruza nets a backhand but still one championship point.
15-40: Williams misses a backhand into the net to bring up two championship points for Muguruza.
15-30: Williams misses a backhand long to put Muguruza two points from the title.
15-15: Williams misses a backhand into the net.
0-15: Muguruza sends a forehand return just long.
Muguruza holds for 5-3 to put herself a game from a maiden Grand Slam title. Williams will serve to stay in the match.
40-15: Williams misses a forehand return wide.
30-15: Muguruza hits a huge ace out wide.
15-15: Williams misses a backhand return wide.
0-15: Muguruza double faults for the ninth time.
Williams holds for 4-3 with a big ace out wide. Muguruza still just two games from a first Grand Slam title.
40-15: Williams hits a big backhand winner cross court.
30-15: Muguruza attacks the net and puts away a big backhand swing volley.
30-0: Muguruza nets a backhand return.
15-0: Muguruza nets a return.
Muguruza holds for 4-2 off of a missed return from Williams. Muguruza now just two games away.
40-15: Williams just misses a forehand wide.
30-15: Williams misses a backhand long.
15-15: Williams nets a backhand return.
0-15: Muguruza double faults.
Williams holds with a huge forehand passing shot and unleashes a "C'mon," for 3-2.
40-30: Muguruza hits a big backhand behind Williams.
40-15: Williams hits a backhand off the net cord, going just wide.
40-0: Muguruza misses a return wide.
30-0: Muguruza misses a forehand long again.
15-0: Muguruza misses a forehand long.
Muguruza holds for 3-1 off of a big forehand winner.
40-30: Williams hits an on the rise backhand winner.
40-15: Williams misses a forehand wide.
30-15: Williams hits a big forehand return.
30-0: Williams misses a backhand wide.
15-0: Williams nets a forehand.
Muguruza breaks again off of a big forehand down the line winner for a 2-1 lead.
15-40: Williams misses a forehand into the net.
15-30: Muguruza hits a big forehand winner.
15-15: Muguruza hits a backhand down the line return winner.
15-0: Williams hits an ace.
Williams breaks off of a Muguruza double fault for 1-1.
40-AD: Muguruza double faults.
40-40: Muguruza unleashes some blistering ground strokes to save break point.
40-AD: Muguruza double faults.
40-40: Williams misses a backhand return.
30-40: Muguruza nets a backhand.
30-30: Williams hits a big backhand winner.
30-15: Williams gets a net cord to make a passing shot.
30-0: Williams misses a forehand long.
15-0: Williams misses a forehand.
Muguruza breaks off of a netted forehand from Williams.
15-40: Muguruza strikes a huge backhand winner.
15-30: Williams misses a forehand wide.
15-15: Williams nets a forehand.
15-0: Williams hits a winner.
Muguruza takes the opening set 7-5 off of a huge backhand winner.
AD-40: Williams misses a forehand for another set point for Muguruza.
40-40: Muguruza misses a forehand.
AD-40: Williams nets a forehand to bring up another set point.
40-40: Williams hits a forehand winner.
AD-40: Williams nets a forehand to bring up set point for Muguruza.
40-40: Muguruza saves break point with a big ace down the middle.
30-40: Williams misses a forehand return.
15-40: Muguruza hits another double fault.
15-30: Williams hits a forehand approach shot winner.
15-15: Williams backhand sails long.
0-15: Muguruza misses an easy backhand.
Muguruza breaks for 6-5 off of a barrage of huge forehands. Muguruza will serve for the set next.
30-40: Muguruza unleashes a huge forehand, unreturned by Williams.
30-30: Muguruza hits a backhand wide.
15-30: Muguruza misses a forehand into the net.
0-30: Muguruza attacks a weak drop shot from Williams, unreturned by Williams.
0-15: Williams double faults.
Muguruza holds for 5-5 to stay in the set off of a backhand long from Williams.
40-15: Muguruza hits a big forehand behind Williams.
30-15: Williams cracks a huge forehand winner.
30-0: Williams misses a forehand way wide.
15-0: Williams nets a return.
Williams holds for 5-4 to force Muguruza to serve to stay in the set.
40-30: Williams hits a big forehand winner behind Muguruza.
30-30: Williams double faults for the second time.
30-15: Muguruza hits a big forehand down the line for a winner.
30-0: Williams hits her fifth ace of the match.
15-0: Muguruza misses a return.
Williams break off an error from Muguruza for 4-4.
30-40: Williams hits a forehand winner.
30-30: Muguruza nets a routine backhand.
30-15: Williams nets a forehand.
15-15: Williams misses a return wide.
0-15: Muguruza nets a forehand.
Williams holds for 4-3 to keep margin to one break.
40-15: Williams cracks a huge ace down the middle.
30-15: Muguruza responds with a brilliant forehand down the line return.
30-0: Muguruza hits out after questionable, late overrule from the chair umpire.
15-0: Muguruza just misses a forehand return.
Muguruza bullets a huge forehand down the line to go up 4-2.
40-30: Williams misses another backhand long to bring up game point.
30-30: Williams nets a return.
15-30: Williams misses a forehand on the run long.
0-30: Muguruza hits a second straight double fault.
0-15: Muguruza double faults.
Williams double faults to be broken by Muguruza. Muguruza up 3-2.
30-40: Muguruza nets a return.
15-40: Williams hits a big ace out wide.
0-40: Williams misses a forehand long.
0-30: Williams misses a backhand.
0-15: Williams nets a forehand.
Muguruza holds for 2-2 after saving break points.
AD-40: Williams nets a return.
40-40: Muguruza double faults.
AD-40: Muguruza hits a big first serve, return wide by Williams.
40-40: Muguruza misses a forehand on the run.
AD-40: Williams misses a drop shot in the net.
40-40: Muguruza cracks a big ace down the middle to save break point.
40-AD: Williams bats down a volley for a winner.
40-40: A big barrage of huge hitting from Muguruza results in a saved break point.
30-40: Williams hits a forehand winner to bring up break point.
30-30: Muguruza misses a backhand into the net.
30-15: Muguruza mishits a backhand approach long.
30-0: Williams hits a return long.
15-0: Williams hits a forehand return wide.
Williams holds for 2-1 after Muguruza misses a backhand.
40-15: Muguruza cracks a backhand down the line for a winner.
40-0: Muguruza nets a forehand on the run.
30-0: Williams hits a sliding, second serve ace.
15-0: Muguruza nets a return.
Muguruza holds for 1-1 after Williams nets a backhand.
40-30: Williams crushes a backhand second serve return down the line for a winner.
40-15: Williams nets a forehand return.
30-15: Muguruza cracks a big serve, return into the net from Williams.
15-15: Muguruza misses a backhand approach shot.
15-0: Williams misses a backhand return.
Williams holds off of a big serve, unreturned by Muguruza to go up 1-0.
40-0: Williams cracks a big ace down the middle.
30-0: Muguruza nets a forehand return.
15-0: Muguruza misses a backhand long.
Muguruza won the toss and elected to return.
Williams and Muguruza walk onto Court Philippe Chatrier.
With both Williams and Muguruza possessing such big, power games this is bound to be a hard-hitting affair. While Williams has been forced to battle the past two rounds, Muguruza has eased into the final, showing superb form in her semifinal win over Stosur. On the flip side, Williams has not brought her A-game the past two matches and seems to be hampered by a leg injury hindering her movement. While Williams has not won easily, the defending champion is the best in the world at squeaking out wins, and expect the world number one to take another tight one and make history with her 22nd Grand Slam title.
With Muguruza having made the quarterfinals in the French capital the past three years now, the Spaniard has played some big matches on the Parisian clay recently. The fourth's seed break out run came here in 2014, stunning world number one Serena Williams in the second round on her way to a quarterfinal meeting with 2012 champion Maria Sharapova. After dominating the five-time Grand Slam winner in the opening set and getting Sharapova on the ropes, the Russian was able to fight back, eventually winning 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 before going on to win the title that year. The following year, the world number four again made a deep run in Paris, upsetting 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in three sets on her way to the quarterfinals. There in the last eight Muguruza again fell, this time in straight sets, to eventual finalist Lucie Safarova. Later that year the 22-year-old achieved a first ever Grand Slam final, reaching the Wimbledon final after downing four seeded players in a row only to lose to 21-time major winner Serena Williams in the final.
Williams claimed her first French Open title all the way back in 2002, defeating big sister Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3 in her first final in Paris. 11 years later, the world number one claimed a second French Open title, defeating five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova in the final 6-4, 6-4. Last year after arguably the toughest road to a Grand Slam final ever with five three-set matches, Williams was able to put away Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 to take her third and most recent Roland Garros title.
Williams and Muguruza first met at the Australian Open back in 2013 in the second round, a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win for the American. A year later the two met here at Roland Garros, with a relatively unheralded Muguruza stunning the defending champion in dominant fashion 6-2, 6-2. The two met again in Melbourne in 2015, with Williams having to come back from a set down to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Williams and Muguruza's most recent and only Grand Slam final meeting came almost a year ago at Wimbledon, where a surging Serena rolled past Muguruza to take her sixth Wimbledon title and a "Serena Slam."
Muguruza opened her tournament with a battle, coming from a set down to defeat Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. The Spaniard then eased past Frenchwomen Myrtille Georges 6-2, 6-0, before again cruising past Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-0 to book her spot in the second week in Paris. The fourth seed then put on a brilliant display of power and accuracy to hold off former Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4. In the last eight, the past two years' quarterfinalist booked her semifinal spot with a straight forward win over fairy tale American Shelby Rogers. Most recently in the semifinals, Muguruza dominated former finalist and 2011 US Open winner Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4 to reach her second career Grand Slam final.
Williams began her tournament with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win in the opening round over slightly-injured Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova. The world number one kept up her dominant form, easing past Brazil's Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-1 to reach the third round. In her most difficult match of the tournament, the three-time Roland Garros winner had to dig deep to stop home hope Kristina Mladenovic. Williams had to fight through some incredible hitting and variation from the Frenchwomen to move on 6-4, 7-6 in a match filled with drama and stunning shots from both players. After two days of torrential rain, Williams was finally able to get back on court, crushing Ukranian Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-1 to move into her tenth quarterfinal appearance in Paris. There in the quarters, the defending champion was forced to battle back against feisty Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, with Williams eventually winning through to the semifinals 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. In the last four, the three-time champion again had to fight, this time against surprise package of the tournament Kiki Bertens. After going down 5-2 in the opening set, Williams clawed her way back to win 7-6, 6-4 and book a spot in a fourth Roland Garros final.
Welcome to live coverage of the French Open final! My name is Thomas Cluck, and I am happy to be bringing you point-by-point coverage of the French Open final here on VAVEL. From now until the match begins at 9:00 am ET, news and notes will be above to get you up to speed. Be sure to return at match time for point-by-point updates!