Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza beats Venus Williams in ladies’ singles final at Wimbledon

SPANIARD Garbiñe Muguruza has beaten Venus Williams in the 2017 ladies’ singles final at Wimbledon at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

With former King of Spain Juan Carlos watching on from the Royal Box the players walked out onto Centre Court at 2pm (UK time) and played the final protected from the rain under the roof which remained closed during the match.

Muguruza was in her second ladies’ singles final at The Championships, her third Grand Slam final in as many years.

Like her opponent, Venus Williams, the 23-year-old had dropped one set en-route to the final – against No.1 seed and last year’s finalist Angelique Kerber.

Her coach Sam Sumyk was back home with his pregnant wife and Conchita Martinez, the 1994 champion, stepping in to help her compatriot. Martinez was previously the sole Spanish woman to win the ladies’ singles title.

37-year-old Venus Williams faced Muguruza in her ninth ladies’ singles final, some eight years after her last, and 20 years on from her Championships debut.

Williams is the oldest Wimbledon ladies finalist since Martina Navratilova, who also reached the final for a ninth time at the age of 37 in 1994. The American’s late success has come in spite of an ongoing battle with Sjogren’s syndrome, the energy-sapping auto-immune condition that was first diagnosed in 2011.