Spanish ace Garbine Muguruza officially took over the world No. 1 ranking for the first time on Monday, replacing Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova.
The 23-year-old, who lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova in the US Open fourth round, had picked up her second Grand Slam title earlier this summer at Wimbledon, and followed it up by winning Cincinnati.
“Becoming the WTA No. 1 in the world is a dream come true,” said Muguruza. “Every birthday wish was always the same as I blew out the candles – to become the best.
“There is a lot of work behind this achievement and a lot of love and passion for this sport. There’s also a lot of hard moments along with the great moments. Not to mention the extreme amount of love from my family and the appreciation for my fans and all the people that have helped me in this journey.
“And I am very proud to share such a special moment for our country with Rafael Nadal, the best role model I could ever have. I look forward to continue working hard to keep this position.”
This is the first time since 2003 that both world No. 1 players on the ATP and WTA hail from the same country.
Here’s a look at the numbers behind Muguruza’s rise.
1 — Muguruza was one of eight women who started the US Open with a chance to rise to No. 1.
2 — Muguruza is the second Spanish woman to occupy the world No. 1 spot since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975.
2 — Grand Slam titles for Muguruza – the 2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon.
2 — titles for Muguruza in 2017 – Wimbledon and Cincinnati.
7 — match wins and 3 losses for Muguruza against top-10 opposition in 2017.
9 — tournaments where Muguruza has made the quarter-finals or better in 2017, out of 17 contested this season
15 — Muguruza was ranked No. 15 entering Wimbledon in July. It was her lowest ranking in two years.
15-5 — Muguruza’s win-loss record in three-setters in 2017.
20 — Grand Slam main draws Muguruza has contested so far in her career.
22 — years since a Spanish woman was ranked world No. 1 (Sanchez-Vicario in 1995).
24 — Muguruza is the 24th player in WTA history to be world No. 1.
42 — match wins and 16 losses for Muguruza in 2017.
50-44 — Muguruza’s career win-loss record against top-20 opponents (12-7 in 2017).
