End of entry route for Alizé Cornet at the Australian Open. The Frenchwoman, who played her first match of the year after her withdrawal in Hobart, lost to the Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva (6-2, 6-4). The 20-year-old, who was playing the first Grand Slam match of her career, finds herself in the second round and will face the winner of the match between Magda Linette and Caroline Wozniacki.
For his 68th Major in a row – a record – Cornet almost suffered a severe 6-0 in the first set. Timofeeva had two balls to end the set with this score but the Frenchwoman saved both chances, opening a pretty crazy standoff in the following games. The two players delivered several extended rallies, but the Niçoise ended up giving in on her opponent’s fifth set point.
Broken early in the second, Cornet never caught up, lacking in effectiveness on her opportunities throughout the match (one break for seven break points). However, she defended herself, like her two tweeners passed during the match, but the Russian brought back a lot, to the point of forcing the opponent to make a mistake in conditions disturbed by the wind. After more than 2 hours of play, Cornet gave in.
2024-01-14 05:50:51
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