French Open: Serena Williams must ovecome Garbine Muguruza obstacle to add to Slam tally

For the second time in less than a year Garbine Muguruza will be the final obstacle in Serena Williams’ path as the world No 1 continues her relentless assault on the sport’s history books. At Wimbledon last summer Muguruza was unable to prevent Williams completing her second “Serena Slam” – holding all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. Tomorrow the Spaniard will attempt to stop the American equalling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

While Muguruza swept into the final with an emphatic victory over Sam Stosur, beating the Australian 6-2, 6-4 in just an hour and a quarter, Williams had a more complicated passage in a meeting between two players who were struggling with injuries. Williams beat Kiki Bertens 7-6, 6-4, but only after saving a set point in the first set.

After a tournament littered with early defeats for many of the leading women, Saturday's final will be a match to relish, bringing together the world’s best player and arguably the brightest prospect among the next generation. Muguruza, the world No 4, is only 22 but this will be her fifth meeting with Williams, all of their encounters having come in Grand Slam tournaments.

Williams’ 6-4, 6-4 victory at Wimbledon last summer in Muguruza’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final was their most recent encounter, but the match that might feature more prominently in both players’ minds was their meeting here in the second round two years ago. In losing 6-2, 6-2 in her only defeat to Muguruza, Williams suffered what is still her heaviest defeat in the 337 Grand Slam matches she has played.

“I think Muguruza has been playing really well,” Williams said after reaching the 90th singles final of her career. “She's been playing a really aggressive game and going for her shots. Regardless, I think it will be a good match. The last time we played here in France she was able to win the match. I learned so much from that match.”

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Williams, three times a champion here, added: “I don't really want to elaborate, but it was a really unbelievable lesson for me. It propelled me to many, many, many wins after that.”

Court Suzanne Lenglen was less than half full for most of Muguruza’s victory over Stosur. In the original tournament schedule the second court would have not staged any singles matches on the second Friday, but the rain-interrupted programme earlier in the week meant that Lenglen staged a women’s and a men’s semi-final.

The tournament announced last night that tickets would be available on Lenglen for just 20 euros (about £16) but there was not exactly a stampede to watch the first match. In comparable circumstances at Wimbledon you could imagine that thousands would have been queuing in Wimbledon Park the night before.

Muguruza came out bristling with aggression, forcing Stosur to defend from the very first point, and was soon 4-0 up. Stosur finally got on the scoreboard by holding serve but Muguruza served out for the set in just 32 minutes.

When Muguruza broke in the opening game of the second set it seemed that we might be heading for a rout. Stosur levelled at 2-2, but dropped serve again in the following game, double-faulting on break point. Another break saw Muguruza go 5-2 up, but to Stosur’s credit the 32-year-old Australian made her opponent work for her victory.

With Muguruza tightening up, Stosur broke to love when Muguruza served for the match for the first time and then held in the following game to put renewed pressure on the Spaniard. When she served at 5-4 Muguruza hit double faults on two of the first three points before digging her way out of trouble with two successive aces. On her first match point Stosur netted a forehand to give Muguruza victory after an hour and 16 minutes and take her into her first clay-court final.

After reaching last summer’s Wimbledon final Muguruza initially struggled to cope with her new-found fame, but she has looked full of confidence here. “I have learned a lot how to control my emotions inside the court and outside the court,” she said. “In a tournament like this you have to be very focused. It’s very long. Even longer with this kind of weather where you have to wait a lot.”

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On yet another chilly and overcast day the temperature was just 12C when Williams and Bertens entered Court Philippe Chatrier for the other semi-final. Both players looked well dressed for the conditions. Bertens was wearing full-length black leggings and a long-sleeved top, while Williams was wearing knee-length leggings and a warm-up top which she never discarded during the match.

However, the extra layers apparently served another purpose too, as both players were carrying injuries. Bertens, who had suffered a painful left calf injury in her semi-final victory over Timea Bacsinszky, decided to play only an hour before the start and moved gingerly throughout.

Williams, who had had lengthy treatment the previous evening after her win over Yulia Putintseva for what was said to be a thigh problem, also looked uncomfortable in her movement, especially in the early stages.

For the most part it was a subdued contest, perhaps as a result of the players’ physical limitations as both were playing their third match in as many days. In the circumstances the drop shot was often the most effective weapon and Williams in particular used it to great effect.

Williams was broken in the opening game on a double fault and faced a set point when she served at 3-5 and 30-40. Bertens, however, snatched at her forehand, a mistake which she would quickly regret. Williams, having held her serve, broke back for 5-5 and won the ensuing tie-break 9-7. The American netted shots on her first two set points but on the third followed up a big serve with a forehand winner.

Bertens, who was playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, was broken in the seventh game of the second set and clung on grimly two games later. When serving to stay in the match at 3-5 the 24-year-old Dutchwoman saved three match points, forcing Williams to serve out for the match. When Bertens hit a forehand long on the fourth match point in the following game the look on Williams’ face was more one of relief than celebration.