Garbine Muguruza reached her second Wimbledon final in three years after producing a classy performance to beat Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1 6-1 and end the Slovakian’s remarkable run at Wimbledon 2017. She will now take on Venus Williams in the Championship match after the American beat Johanna Konta 6-4 6-2.

The Spaniard had no trouble beating out-of-sorts Rybarikova in straight sets. She raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to consistent serving and errors from the Slovakian. Then the Spaniard made it 4-0 in style as she hit one huge forehand that set up a forehand into the open court, before getting to a Rybarikova drop shot and flicking it expertly into the corner for another winner. Muguruza held twice more with the help of six unforced errors from the Slovakian to win the opening set 6-1.

Rybarikova showed glimpses of her superb skills in her only hold of the opening set as she hit an excellent volley winner and demonstrated her reactions with a great backhand after Muguruza drilled a drive volley to her left. And the Slovakian displayed a few more in the second set as she hit a few precise aces and produced three brilliant lobs. But these were rare events, as the Spaniard dominated the second set, as she had the first, with the consistency of her groundstrokes.

Muguruza’s second set performance was arguably even better than her first set showing. She demonstrated great hands at the net for three consecutive volleys in game one, hit some massive deep returns to leave Rybarikova in all sorts of difficulty, and found the corners of the court with impressive regularity. At one stage, in games three and four, the Spaniard hit six winners in eight points – three were backhand winners down the line, two were forehand volleys and the other was a delightful cross-court backhand.

The World No.15 also sealed the match with a flourish, hitting a brilliant flat backhand that forced an error to earn three match points, and then playing a great all-around point to force another error from the Slovakian and seal her place in the final for the second time in three years. Muguruza said, “It's incredible to be here in another final because it means a lot. It's a Grand Slam. I lost two years ago one, so I really look forward to this one to try to change that.”

The Spaniard credited the influence of compatriot and Fed Cup Captain Conchita Martinez, who has been coaching at this year’s Wimbledon in the absence of regular coach Sam Sumyk. She said, “She's helping me to deal with the stress of the tournament because it lasts a long time. She knows how to prepare, how to train, what to do. It’s not that I'm doing anything different, but having her by my side gives me confidence as she has won (this tournament) before (in 1994).”

Muguruza also explained more about her coaching situation at SW19 this year. She said, “Conchita and Sam are working together. They are in contact. Before I do something, they both decide. So it's not that that magic is not happening. I think I'm here because I've been working not only in the last few days, but for a longer time, to get ready for this kind of moment. I think a lot of things are clicking with her and the team this week, so it's very nice.”

Despite her tough loss, Rybarikova was very complimentary of her opponent. She said, “It was a very difficult match for me. Garbine was playing amazing – I’ve never seen her playing that well, even when I’ve played against her before.” She continued, “I was little bit nervous in the beginning. But then she stood up and she was playing very fast. There was not much I could do today. Obviously, it was not my best day. But she didn't give me much chance to do something. So I have to congratulate her and I'm wishing her all the best in the final.”