Garbine Muguruza defends Monterrey crown as Victoria Azarenka retires hurt

Muguruza was leading by 6-1, 3-1 against Azarenka when a leg injury made it impossible for the Belarusian to continue playing beyond one hour and six minutes.

Second-seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain successfully defended her title at the Abierto GNP Seguros after her fifth-seed opponent Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was forced to retired hurt midway through the final of the tournament in Monterrey on Sunday. 

The 25-year-old was leading by 6-1, 3-1 against Azarenka when a leg injury made it impossible for the Belarusian to continue playing beyond one hour and six minutes in the summit showdown of the women's singles final. 

With the win, Muguruza has not only defended a WTA singles title for the first time but also lifted the seventh crown of her career. 

Reflecting on the match, Muguruza said that it was quite special to win in Monterrey last year and make a return and defend the title this year as well. 

"I'm very happy with this week. It's a great feeling to come back and defend a title. It's never easy. I'm loving Monterrey a lot and the crowd is supporting me all the time. Every title is sweet. The ending was a little strange, [Azarenka] was injured, but it's a special feeling, winning last year and now this year," the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) quoted the Spaniard star as saying. 

She further insisted that this year's draw was the best as she got some really tough opponents during the tournament. 

While Muguruza had 16 winners to 11 unforced errors, Azarenka scored 13 winners and made 22 unforced errors. 

Notably, Azarenka played in the final of a WTA event for the first time since making a return to the tennis court following the birth of her son Leo in December 2016.