Muguruza ready for second Wimbledon final

Two years after losing to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza will play the American's sister Venus for tennis's greatest prize.

Garbine Muguruza celebrates.

Garbine Muguruza is much better prepared for this, her second Wimbledon final. (AAP)

All business, Garbine Muguruza is refusing to compare her imperious grasscourt form to her charge to last year's French Open crown as she closes in on Wimbledon glory.

Almost in a trance, Muguruza marched into her second final at The All England Club in three years with a brutal 6-1 6-1 dispatch of shellshocked Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova.

Runner-up to Serena Williams in 2015, the Spaniard needed just 65 minutes to sweep past Rybarikova in one of the most one-sided semi-finals in Wimbledon history.

"I played very well for sure," Muguruza said.

"It was a tricky match because she's a very talented player.

"She's played very well all tournament but today I stepped on the court super confident and it went very well."

The 23-year-old is too in the zone to even remember how well she played during her relentless run at Roland Garros 13 months ago.

"I just think I'm playing well and I want to keep it up for my last match," Muguruza said.

The 14th seed will take on five-time champion Venus Williams in Saturday's title decider and - tellingly - says she feels "very different" to the starry-eyed first-time grand slam finalist of two years ago.

"You know what are you going to feel. You know what you more or less deal with out there," Muguruza said.

"I feel much more calm, kind of controlling more my emotions than the last time. It was more new for me also.

"Yeah, it's a big change."

A month after suffering a humbling loss to Australian Ashleigh Barty in Birmingham, Muguruza credits the addition of 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez to her coaching team for providing a new-found calm and confidence.

"She's helping me to deal with the stress of the tournament because it's a long tournament," said the Venezuela-born star.

"I've been here already since a while. She just knows how to prepare, how to train, what to do.

"Not that I'm doing something different, honestly. But to have her by my side gives me also this little confidence on having someone that has won before."

Muguruza finds herself in the final of tennis's showpiece after seeing off four top-20 rivals, including world No.1 Angelique Kerber in round four.

But beating Williams on tennis's most hallowed centre is an altogether different challenge.

Only Serena has ever managed to conquer her sister in a Wimbledon final.

"She knows how to play, especially Wimbledon finals," Muguruza said.

"It's going to be like a historic final again.

"For the last years, you see a lot of Williams surnames (on the honour roll).

"So I look forward to just have it there. I don't know, to put a Spanish name back there."


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Source: AAP



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