Muguruza thumps Halep in Cincinnati final

Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza fine-tuned her preparations for this month's U.S. Open by crushing Simona Halep 6-1 6-0 in the Cincinnati Open final on Sunday. Muguruza's tennis was as hot as the summer sun in the early afternoon match on the outdoor hardcourt, as she wrapped up victory in less than an hour. The Wimbledon champion kept her opponent pinned to the baseline and improved her career record to 3-1 against the Romanian second seed.

Muguruza thrashes Halep 6-1 6-0 to win @CincyTennis title. Halep foiled for a 3rd time when a single win from becoming world number one. pic.twitter.com/ytEgcx4Smk

— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) August 20, 2017

With the loss, Halep once again fell one win short of rising to the top of the world rankings. The Romanian, looking to supplant Karolina Pliskova from the top spot, entered the final without dropping a set all week but on Sunday her game fell apart. Halep's second serve proved to be a liability, winning only 11 percent.

.@GarbiMuguruza cruises to @CincyTennis title! Races past Halep 6-1, 6-0! pic.twitter.com/2wjebDvykt— WTA (@WTA) August 20, 2017

Spaniard Muguruza, who had failed to capture a title for more than a year following her triumph at last year's French Open, was now celebrating winning two trophies in as many months as she backed up her Wimbledon victory with her glorious run in Cincinnati. She credited Sunday's win on saving three match points in her third-round encounter against American Madison Keys. "The match with Keys gave me a lot of confidence," Muguruza told ESPN. "I like the big matches. I believe I play well there. I’m happy to be there, happy to be in that situation.

"I felt very comfortable out there today," Muguruza says. "I was ready for it. I felt like it was the best day of the tourney" #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/SAbzHc5AWG

— W&S Open (@CincyTennis) August 20, 2017

"When I was a little girl I was dreaming to be there. That’s where I want to play." But Muguruza declined to build up her chances for the U.S. Open. "The U.S. Open is a very long tournament," said the tall 23-year-old. "It’s completely different. I’m just trying to play well."

Garbine #Muguruza's Cincinnati final performance made her #UsOpen17 favourite Catch up on her victory here >>> https://t.co/7LDeDeS8hJ pic.twitter.com/IQh6PFKPgS— Live Tennis (@livetennis) August 21, 2017

Halep, who also squandered a chance to climb to the top of the world rankings when she was beaten in the French Open final in June, acknowledged she had performed poorly. "I played so bad today and Garbine played so well," Halep, told the crowd. "I will come back next year and try to do better."

'Thanks for your support, even if I played so bad today & #Muguruza played so good ... Sorry for this match.'#Halep pulling no punches. pic.twitter.com/u1BqLxkhCj

— Live Tennis (@livetennis) August 20, 2017