Muguruza, playing in her first grand slam final, began with calm authority and it was Williams who seemed to suffer an attack of butterflies, hitting three double faults and facing four break points before losing her serve in the opening game.
The Spaniard is a heavy hitter and drilled her returns down Williams's throat, driving the American back behind the baseline and drawing a number unforced errors from the world number one.
But Williams cranked into gear and started to find her range, forcing Muguruza to save two break points in the sixth game before she got her reward on the Spaniard's serve to level at 4-4.
Looking for a fourth successive grand slam title for the second time in her career, Williams increased the pressure and, when Muguruza served a double fault to bring up set point, the American smashed a forehand winner before pumping her fist in celebration.
(Reporting by Toby Davis; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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