Updated:01/20/2022 05:55h
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The Spanish-Venezuelan Australian Open“>Garbiñe Muguruza, number three in the world, fell eliminated this Thursday in surprising fashion in the second round of the Australian Open against French veteran Alizé Cornet 6-3, 6-3.
After dazzling with her victory at the WTA Finals the previous season, Muguruza headed to Australia with the aim of taking her third Grand Slam after Roland Garros and Melbourne, but fell prematurely in less than an hour and a half.
The Spanish-Venezuelan suffered with her serve, barely able to stand up in the return against Cornet, number 61 in the world who turns 32 on Saturday, and offered a very imprecise performance with up to 33 unforced errors.
“It’s a tough day”Muguruza acknowledged. “My service wasn’t there, my shots weren’t either, tactically I think I wasn’t making the right decisions (…) And I also think my aggressive game wasn’t as aggressive today,” he lamented.
From the beginning Muguruza rowed against the current. He gave up his first serve, giving Cornet a 2-0 lead who would then go on to have three break points to take a 4-0 lead. Garbiñe managed to save that situation, but ended up giving up the first set against the Frenchwoman in 47 minutes.
The second set started off more evenly until Cornet managed to take the lead in game five and accelerate to victory. Signal of the confusion of the Spanish, the French blanked the rest in the last game.
“I felt like I was in a bubble. You always have to play a super good match to beat Garbiñe, she is such a fighter. Even at the end, I was a set and a break up, but I knew I wouldn’t let a single point slip away,” said Cornet, who described himself as “a bit of a dinosaur.”
In fact, despite never having made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam, she is the active player with the most consecutive appearances (60) in the big four, the third best mark in history.
Muguruza was not the only women’s draw favorite to fall. Sixth-seeded Estonian Anett Kontaveit was stunned by Danish teenager Clara Tauson, who on her debut in the final rounds at Melbourne Park hammered her 6-2, 6-4.
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