Last July, Garbiñe Muguruza superstitiously asked her parents to stay home in Barcelona while she contested the Wimbledon final, where she put up a gallant fight late in the second set against Serena Williams. Luckily, on Saturday, her parents decided to shake things up and watch courtside as their daughter took on the American legend once more, this time on her beloved clay. It was a smart decision because what they witnessed might well be the beginning of a new era in women’s tennis.

Before this year’s French Open final, Muguruza had won only two titles on the women’s tour, and none on clay. Her opponent was aiming once again to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 majors. Serena Williams’s coach had earlier said that her only real opponent was herself. But even though Williams is her childhood idol, Muguruza probably did not agree.

As she lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires, her first Grand Slam trophy, becoming the first Spanish woman to win the French Open since Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 1998, she may well have surprised many viewers around the world. But this was not really the huge upset it may have looked like.

For, two years ago, at this very event, Muguruza, then 20, had handed Williams the most one-sided defeat of her astounding 339-match Grand Slam career. After defeating Williams 6-2, 6-2 in 64 minutes, the Spaniard had announced, “A change is coming.”

A new order

Two years later, Muguruza, now 22, appears to have learned from her loss in the Wimbledon final last year just how to overcome her nerves. Standing six feet tall, the strong baseliner used her powerful groundstrokes and massive serve, which she hails as her best weapon, to vanquish the three-time champion in straight sets and herald a definitive changing of the order.

During the French Open final, NBC’s Ted Robinson said Muguruza reminded him of a young Maria Sharapova when she first burst onto the scene to beat Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final. The same power, the same fearlessness.

There may be another similarity. Earlier in the tournament, Vogue published a piece on Muguruza titled “This French Open Star Has Tennis’s Best Bombshell Hair,” in which we were informed of the impressive fact that “whether strolling the streets in her adopted hometown of Geneva or touring the Basque countryside, her hair falls into beachy waves.”

In the absence of Sharapova who is currently serving a suspension for using a banned substance, could the dimpled Mugu, as she is affectionately known in the tennis world, become the next It girl of women’s tennis? It certainly seems likely, but it is to be hoped that the increased celebrity and attention will not derail her rise to the very top where she belongs.

A bit of sun

After Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka both lost in the first round, the women’s draw at the French this year seemed a bit lacklustre, and easy pickings for Williams. But this was the third straight major where the American lost in the final stages to an underdog. Hampered by an abductor injury and faced with a younger, stronger opponent, Williams must wonder if she is finally facing the twilight of her great career.

It is too early to count her out and at Wimbledon once again she will be the favourite if she is healthy. However, with Sharapova away, Serena staring down her 35th birthday, and no really consistent contender for the top spot, women’s tennis desperately needs a rising star who can dominate and win multiple slams.

As commentator Mary Carillo put it during the women’s final at Roland Garros, amidst all the rain and clouds, Muguruza was the closest thing to the sun, in her yellow apparel And a little bit of sunshine, with the attention and ticket sales that brings to women’s tennis, doesn’t hurt.

Steady growth

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, to a Spanish father and a Venezuelan mother, Muguruza began playing tennis in Guarenas, just east of Caracas, at age three. When she was six, the family moved back to Spain, where Muguruza began her evolution into a world class player. She entered the main draw of the 2012 US Open as a teenager for her first major tournament, but captured the attention of the media only after her upset over Williams at Roland Garros in 2014.

The following year, at the Australian Open, her fourth round match with Williams went to three sets, with Muguruza winning the first. Her rise has been gradual enough to be credible and she has taken her time to turn promise into titles. And yet, at 22, she is young enough to have a long, prolific career ahead of her.

On Monday, when the new rankings come out, Muguruza, who enjoys cooking, listening to music on shuffle, and watching movies with her family, will be the new number two. “Only one more step to be number one,” said Spain’s former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. The change Muguruza foresaw two years ago has come. We predict that women’s tennis has found its next great champion.