FOR the first time ever, both the male and female ATP world number one tennis players are Spanish – or they will be from Monday, when Wimbledon winner Garbiñe Muguruza soars to the top of the ranks.
Mallorca's Rafa Nadal regained his long-lost number one slot on August 21 after the Cincinnati Masters 1000, despite losing to ATP number 22 Nick Kyrgios.
And Garbiñe, a month and a half after scooping up the prestigious Grand Slam title at the Greater London All-England court, will be top of the WTA list when the rankings are released on September 11.
She got through to week two of the US Open for the first time in her career this week and, although she was dispatched in round four by Petra Kvitova, she already had her new honour confirmed.
The French Open 2016 winner has knocked the Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova, 25, off the top-of-the-world slot after eight weeks.
“I would never be in this position without the help of my family, my team and my fans,” Garbiñe, 23, told Reuters news agency.
“It's a dream come true, so hopefully I can keep it up as long as possible.”
So far this year, Muguruza – born in Spain to Venezuelan parents – has eight victories under her belt in top-10 tournaments.
Her victory in the final against Venus Williams made her only the second Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.
The first Spanish woman to do so was Garbiñe's very own coach, Conchita Martínez, who netted the coveted title in the year Muguruza was born.
And Conchita watched calmly from the stands as her protégée took on Venus, knowing the young star had nothing to fear and that she, Conchita, was assured a vicarious second Wimbledon victory in her pupil's hands.
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