Right from the start, Muguruza seemed calm, confident and positive. Rybarikova seemed negative, like if she didn't hit perfect shots right away, she'd assess that she never would. And she basically never did.
Venus-Konta was one of those matches in which my assessment of why one player beat the other is just that one player was a little bit better. I know that sounds tautologically ridiculous, but sometimes that's the best descriptor of what happened. Venus and Jo Konta have a similar game, built on strong first serves and powerful groundstrokes. Both are vulnerable on their second serves. So what happened? Venus served a little better and returned a little better, especially against the second serve, and that put Konta under continually growing pressure. Eventually Konta started cracking.
Venus Williams' 1000-megawatt smile is one of my favorite things in sports.
At this point in their careers, Muguruza, at her best, is like Jo Konta but a notch better. Venus Williams isn't afraid of anybody except perhaps Serena. If both come out playing their best, expect a really entertaining final.