Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza signed her first semifinals at the Australian Open after defeating Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (30) 7-5 and 6-3, and will face Romanian and fourth favorite Simona Halep in the penultimate round.

"I adapted to the circumstances, sometimes you don't feel quite right but you have to keep fighting. Very happy to have taken that first set," he said after winning the victory.

Although his tennis did not shine as in the previous two rounds when he touched the excellence, Muguruza achieved a worked victory after defeating the veteran Pavlyuchenkova who ended up desperate for the solidity of the Spanish. Up to five breaks were in a first round in which both players started insecure and making numerous unforced errors.

The instability in the serve reigned during the first half of the crash and Muguruza, aware of the difficulty of the Russian to add with his service, gave the final blow in the last breath to be awarded a set by 7-5 that would end up being decisive.

They did not remedy their problems with the serve after the start of a second partial opened with an early break and "counter-break" that set the 1-1 on the scoreboard. From there, Muguruza had no mercy and was slowing his rival to seal, with a brilliant blank game to serve, the final 6-3.

His opponent in the semifinals will be the Romanian Simona Halep after overwhelming Estonian Anett Kontaveit by a forceful double 6-1 in less than an hour of play.

"Very motivated to be able to play my first semifinals here. I will study my opponent but I know her quite well for all the times we have faced each other," said Muguruza.

The fourth series head has a negative balance against the Spanish after having fallen on three of the five occasions in which they met.

Regarding the confrontations that they maintained on hard court, the baggage is more overwhelming for the Spanish after having a full of three victories, the last one being achieved in Cincinnati in 2017, when he won by a resounding 6-1 and 6 -0.

"It's always special to go far in a Grand Slam"

The tennis player recalled that "it is always special to go far in a 'Grand Slam'" and that " people forget " on occasions that it is not "easy" to win one, stressing that you have to be " patient to go through difficult times" and have rewards like your pass to the semifinals of the Australian Open.

"It is always special to go far in a 'Grand Slam' and I am very happy to play tomorrow again. It is a very long tournament, you have very tough opponents, even if they are not heads of series, and I am happy to be going through every game "Muguruza celebrated.

That of Caracas made it clear that at no time in the tournament has it been thought "where" it would come. " I didn't come feeling great and I had enough thinking about how I was going to train every day . I've been taking it day by day. Every day that happened I was feeling better and getting less frustrated," he said.

"I think it is very difficult to win a 'Grand Slam' and I think people forget it and hope that the best players always win, but it is very difficult. But once you have done it, it definitely gives you some confidence," he acknowledged. former world number one, champion of Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

In this sense, he was " happy no matter what ." "Since I started the tournament I have been very focused to be on top. I have already been in similar situations and I don't want to see beyond, just to be focused," Muguruza warned.

In addition, the Hispanic-Venezuelan did not consider that he has been "like a coma" since his victory in 2017 at Wimbledon but that these years have been "less successful" in the comparison. "I just think you have difficulties as a player and there are times when things do not go well. You just have to be patient and go through difficult times, work, wait and things will come back again," he said.

On his duel with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 32nd of the world thought that the first set was "more deputy." "We have both had more nerves, especially at the beginning, which is always more difficult, but then I have been feeling better little by little," he said.

Now, he knows that a "difficult" game against Simona Halep is waiting for him. "It's a semifinal, so, of course, I expect a great rival. It will be a good battle because she is a very solid player, she has played with a lot of consistency during all these years," said the Romanian, making it clear that she was already "mentalized" to play again this Thursday and that will not be "a problem".

Muguruza also spoke about the entrance into the Hall of Fame of Conchita Martínez, her current coach. "I think it is very exciting and that he is happy because it is a great honor and he deserves it. He had been nominated I think already a couple of times, so I am very glad that he succeeded. I am very proud of her," he confessed. .

"It was definitely a life-changing experience. I cannot give a simple answer to such a complicated question because it is not the right time to talk about it, but it definitely struck me, not as a tennis player, but in general. Overcoming a challenge so difficult, I think so, that many things changed within me, "she said, asked about the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro at the end of last year.

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