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Reader question: Please explain “stopped in her tracks” in this passage: Last year’s finalist Garbiñe Muguruza was stopped in her tracks at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open by an in-form Jelena Jankovic, who downed the Spanish World No.3 in straight sets to reach the third round for the first time (Muguruza falls to Jankovic in Wuhan opener, WTATennis.com, September 27, 2016). My comments: In a women’s tennis tournament in Wuhan last month, the Spanish No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza was upset by Jelena Jankovic, from Serbia. In other words, Muguruza was defeated by Jankovic, which came as a bit of surprise because Muguruza was seeded third in the tournament, a higher seed than Jankovic. The higher the seed, the farther one is expected to go in a tournament. Therefore, Muguruza’s early loss was considered an upset, a surprise. Jankovic, tennis fans will know, was one time ranked first in the world. She certainly has the talent to beat Muguruza or anyone on a good day. But anyways, Muguruza is currently considered a better player today and therefore her loss to Jankovic is considered a surprise and that surprise element is what makes the expression of her being “stopped in her tracks” possible in the first place. To be stopped in our tracks, you see, literally means we are stopped right in our walk – usually when something unexpected happens around us to distract our attention. | 
