In a fantastic match that lived up to all the expectations, Garbine Muguruza produced her best tennis when it mattered most to beat World No.1 Angelique Kerber 4-6 6-4 6-4. The Spaniard was the aggressor throughout, as she knew she had to be against a defender as good as the German, and her proactive approach eventually paid off as she came from a set down to book her place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time in her career.

Muguruza signaled her intentions right from the start as she stepped inside the baseline and drilled a series of powerful groundstrokes deep into Kerber’s side of the court. It worked well for the most part, but the German’s defending was so resolute that the Spaniard was unable to earn a single break point in the opening set. And it ultimately cost Muguruza, as Kerber took her second break point chance in the ninth game with a well-constructed point that forced an error, and then held her serve to take the set 6-4.

The second set followed a similar pattern as both players held four times in a row to leave the score tied after eight games. But this time it was Muguruza who broke with a mini attacking masterclass.  First, she hit a backhand winner and then she advanced to the net and put away a backhand volley to make it 0-30. Kerber hit back with a forehand winner before the Spaniard unfurled a forehand winner of her own to earn two break points, and the German handed her the break with an unforced error. As Kerber did in the first set, Muguruza held to seal the set 6-4.

In the third set, the high-quality tennis continued, but both players had more of an impact against their opponent’s serve as there were five breaks in total. Crucially, Muguruza was particularly effective against the Kerber serve as she won exactly 50% of all points in the German’s service games in set three. The Spaniard earned the first of her breaks by coming into the net and finishing points superbly, the second with some excellent groundstrokes and the third and deciding break by forcing the World No.1 to make errors.

Despite her potency against Kerber’s serve in the final set, Muguruza rightly believes that game seven was one of the most important of the match. During it, the German repeatedly forced the Spaniard to play an extra shot in rallies and the World No.15 repeatedly obliged with unforced errors. But eventually, after almost ten minutes, Muguruza strung two points together by hitting an unreturnable serve and then a deep forehand that forced Kerber into an error. The Spaniard said, “That was definitely an important game. The serve on grass is good to hold it because is a very fast surface. If you serve well, it's very easy to keep it. I fought. She was fighting. Every point was kind of incredible. I was expecting that anyway, so I was ready to face that situation.”

Reflecting on the match, Muguruza said, “I know I won it, but I think it was a good match for both of us. We battled out there. Every point we gave our best. Every match that I play against Kerber is like that. I remember two years ago when we played here, it was quite a similar match. I’m happy that it went my way, of course, after fighting for two hours.” She continued, “I would rather win in two sets. But I'm happy that today I had to go for the victory and really dig in because that brings me a certain pleasure and satisfaction. It makes me think “I have the level, I'm playing good.” She's a top player, so it's a nice victory.”

Kerber was disappointed to lose and agreed that both players performed well, but she believes the high standard she produced was important. She said, “It was for sure the best match for a long time for me, so I think I'm still in a good way. When I came here, I was telling myself, I was practicing well after Paris. For me, I'm still looking forward to the next weeks, next months. I think I'm on the way again to playing high-level tennis.”

The loss means the German will no longer be World No.1 when the next set of rankings is published. Reflecting on her time at the top, she said, “It was completely new for me. But it was a good experience. I will try to come back and one day be No.1 again. But right now I'm really happy that I’ve got my game back. I'm on court playing good tennis again and I think I can still improve. I don't know if the pressure will be less (now that I’m not No.1). We will see.”

Muguruza now has a great chance to push on through the draw and claim her first-ever Wimbledon title, particularly with Serena Williams absent. She said, “Obviously, a lot of people ask me if not having Serena is a big change. Well, I think so, because she's always in the final. But I still never think that far ahead, unless I'm in a final or almost there. I just want to be realistic. Tomorrow I’ve got to play and keep it that way so I don't have all these things going through my mind.”

The Spaniard is pleased with how she has responded to her tough loss to Kristina Mladenovic at the French Open. She said, “I was a little bit sad. But I liked it the way I handled it. I didn’t lose my spirit. I said, ‘Look, grass starts. I did well, I'm here. I have everything to win. I want to go back to the top.’ That's what I'm trying to do. I didn't feel a hangover.”

Muguruza was also asked what she thought about Kerber’s struggles this year. She said, “It must be difficult to be in her position. I've never been No. 1 yet. Hopefully, one day. But I don’t think about it in that way. I know certain players, no matter what ranking they are, are going to be tough to beat. It doesn't matter if I play Kerber and she's 1 or 70. And if they play against me, doesn't matter if I'm 1, 3 or 20. Because they're top players, they have it. The ranking is temporary and it changes. One year you have a good tournament, and then you don't have a good tournament. But the level is there.”