Wimbledon 2015: Muguruza relishes date with Serena in final

Garbine Muguruza — rather than fear or dread facing Serena Williams on Centre Court — actually appears to be relishing the idea.

Garbine Muguruza of Spain, left, shakes hands with Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland after winning their women’s singles semi-final match.

It was not simply that she was magnificent in reaching her first grand slam final that provides hope for something other than a one-sided match tonight but rather that Garbine Muguruza — rather than fear or dread facing Serena Williams on Centre Court — actually appears to be relishing the idea.

“I think this is the best final you can play,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “To have Serena in the Wimbledon final, I think is the hardest match you can have. If you want to win a grand slam, when you dream, you say, I want Serena in the final.”

There were moments in her 6-2 3-6 6-3 defeat of Agnieszka Radwanska that having the No 20 seed in the final felt like a privilege in waiting.

The youngster lit up Centre Court as if it were her second home. There were some nerves but she conquered them. There were several mistakes but she did not dwell on them.

If you were to assume that Radwanska, finalist at these championships in 2012, was below par, you would be wrong. The Polish No 13 seed made just seven unforced errors.

She was elegant, decisive, powerful and intelligent, but there was nothing she could do to combat the array of angles found, at pace, by her opponent.

The Spaniard unleashed winners when lesser players would have been happy just to get the ball over the net.

They say it is impossible to tie knots in the fourth dimension; well, Muguruza probably could manage it.

It was enthralling from the first ball struck and curious, too, because when Muguruza had time, she would often make the wrong move, as if trying to keep the point alive rather then end it as soon as possible.

And do not suppose that Williams will be immune to all the drama that Muguruza can summon and think that her aura alone will kill her spirit. The Spaniard defeated Williams 6-2 6-2 in the French Open last year.

It all points to a final to savour and presumably the American will not make the mistake that Radwanska committed, when she made a challenge with her opponent serving for the match — if the Pole had kept quiet, the point would have been hers.

In the meantime, the player hoping to become the first Spanish woman to win this championship since Conchita Martinez in 1994 must manage the hype. She desperately wants nothing to change, to keep her routine the same.

Should her parents fly from Spain for the final? Her first thought was no, that this would represent an interruption, a change in her preparation pattern.

After all, she has been brushing her teeth at the same time every day throughout the tournament, so the sudden appearance of her parents would be a calamity of sorts.

Then she relented and said that she would at least discuss the possibility of granting them the chance to travel from Barcelona.

It is difficult, she believes, to challenge Rafael Nadal for sporting recognition in her homeland, but should she triumph over Williams in the final, she will be the player that all Spain will want to talk about.

THE TIMES