Williams vs. Muguruza: Score and Reaction from 2016 French Open Women's Final

Garbine Muguruza upset top-seeded Serena Williams to secure her first career Grand Slam title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory Saturday in the 2016 French Open women's final.

The 22-year-old Spanish rising star was far more assertive in her second major final meeting with the longtime gold standard of women's tennis. After looking overwhelmed by the moment in a straight-sets loss at Wimbledon last year, she was the one dictating a lot of points this time around.

As always, the toughest test when attempting to capture a major title is trying to close it out, and she passed with flying colors against one of the greatest players in history.

Williams came into the final with an adductor strain while also playing her fourth match in as many days due to a rainy couple of weeks in Paris. She admitted after her semifinal triumph over Kiki Bertens that things weren't going as smoothly as the results may have suggested, per Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian.

"It has been very difficult," Williams said Friday. "I had to find a way because Kiki was playing so well. I'm so happy to be through. I have to find some coolness inside me now to relieve all the stress. The crowd are so important and make such a difference."

While the top seed's movement appeared restricted at times, it would be hard to take any credit away from Muguruza for winning a hard-fought first set. She was simply the better player for extended stretches, absorbing Williams' power and hitting some terrific shots from defensive positions.

The underdog made consistent inroads on the typically dominant serve of the defending champion. She created four break-point opportunities and converted two of them, including one with the set tied at five before serving out the final game to grab the early advantage.

Reem Abulleil of Sport360 described the fourth seed's efficient play:

Patrick McEnroe of ESPN noted the overall theme of the first set:

Meanwhile, Williams uncharacteristically failed to take advantage of chances. She capitalized on just one of her five break points in the set, and many of her 11 unforced errors came on points in the first where she could have turned the pressure back on the young Spaniard.

The story remained much the same in the second set. Muguruza continued to showcase plenty of variety and never allowed the No. 1 seed to get in a position where she could find a comfort zone on the baseline, which is where she does most of her damage.

It put the onus on Williams to start taking more chances to hunt for winners. And, whether the reason was the slow, overcast conditions, her lingering injury or a combination of multiple factors, the 21-time Grand Slam winner just couldn't deliver on this day.

The loss prevents Williams from tying Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era. It also marks the third consecutive major she's failed to win dating back to last season's U.S. Open after a run of four straight championships.

That said, this match was far more about Muguruza winning it than Williams losing it. Tennis' newest sensation earned her moment in the spotlight at Roland Garros.

Brad Gilbert of ESPN applauded her effort, especially in the final game:

ESPN Tennis provided further details about the victory:

"

At 22-years-old, Muguruza is the youngest women’s Major champion since then 22-year-old Victoria Azarena won 2012 Australian Open.

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) June 4, 2016"

Roland Garros highlighted the reaction after championship point:

Muguruza is emerging as the most potent threat to Williams' longstanding spot atop the WTA Tour. She's never going to dominate the way the powerful American has throughout her career, but her all-around game and abundance of confidence during Saturday's match was downright impressive.

The biggest question moving forward is how she responds to the pressure that comes with enjoying such high-level success. Ana Ivanovic won the French title in 2008 and looked like somebody with the game to challenge Williams, but she's struggled with the mental side of the game and hasn't reached another major final.

So it's not always about pure talent. Williams has blended an elite skill set with a killer instinct for nearly two decades to become perhaps the best player of all time. Muguruza showed Saturday that she's got the tools to become a special player in her own right.

Post-Match Reaction

Williams downplayed the importance of her injury after the match. Instead, she gave full credit to Muguruza for seizing the moment, as noted by Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.

"Adductor or not, she played to win, and that's what she did," the top seed said.

Roland Garros pointed out the runner-up is also bullish about the champion's future.

"She has a bright future, obviously," Williams said. "She knows how to play on the big stage and clearly how to win Slams."

Muguruza expressed pure joy following the biggest victory of her career, per BBC Sport:

"

I can't explain with words what this title means to me. You work all your life to get here. I want to congratulate Serena, because she is one of the best players. I want to thank my group, my family. I've grown up playing on clay, so for me and Spain this is just amazing. Hopefully next year we'll be back.

"

Tom Perrotta of the Wall Street Journal passed along more of her jubilant remarks: "I'm so, so excited. It's the perfect final."

All match statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.