Aurélien CANOT, published on Thursday 07 January 2021 at 20:05
Finally opposed to Grammatikopoulou, Alizé Cornet started the season with a clear victory. Kristina Mladenovic bowed sharply to Garbine Muguruza. Amandine Hesse for her part suffered the law of Vera Zvonareva.
Cornet starts well, neither Mladenovic nor Hesse
Alizé Cornet did not lose in the exchange. And she took the opportunity to start the season with a very clear victory and necessarily perfect for confidence. Originally, the Niçoise should have faced Thursday for her first match of the year one of the favorites of the Abu Dhabi tournament Elise Mertens, number 20 in the world rankings. Injured in the right shoulder, the Belgian finally forfeited a few minutes to appear on the court against Cornet. The Frenchwoman was therefore finally opposed to the Greek Valentini Grammatikopoulou, 269th in the hierarchy. She made short work of it (6-2, 6-2 in 1h10 of play), with two sets with a practically identical scenario. Cornet led 3-0 in both sets before quietly managing his lead afterwards. In the second lap, the world number 53 will cross the road of the Spanish Badosa. For Cornet, it is to be hoped that she will not experience the same fate as Kristina Mladenovic, severely beaten (6-2, 6-4) Thursday by a compatriot of Badosa Garbine Muguruza. Helped by the problems of the Frenchwoman in service (eleven double faults), in particular at the end of the match (five in the last game), the world number 15 dictated her law to our representative. Mladenovic had started the match better, breaking Muguruza from the start to lead 2-0, but the Spaniard immediately recovered, and lined up seven games in a row to win the first set and take the lead in the second. This did not prevent “Kiki” from still succeeding in the first break in this set (4-3), but without being able to hold it there either. And Muguruza had no trouble resuming his march forward to complete the match.
After qualifying for the fifth time in her career in a WTA tournament, Amandine Hesse (28 years old next week, 201st) replaced compatriot Fiona Ferro, victim of food poisoning, in the table, and was opposed to Vera Zvonareva, No. 2 worldwide ten years ago, mother since 2016, again on the circuit since 2017 and today 164th worldwide. Aged 36, the Russian won 6-3, 6-4 in 1h40 against the French. Zvorareva broke from the start of the match then a second time at 4-2. Hesse made a break behind, but not two, and conceded the first set. In the second, the Russian broke to lead 3-1, then the French equalized (3-3), before giving up her service to 5-4, and therefore the match, on her opponent’s third match point.
Sabalenka goes on, Pliskova and Svitolina easy
Another qualifier of the day: Sofia Kenin, seeded number 1 in the tournament, did not fall into the trap against the Chinese qualifier Yang. The American won in straight sets (7-6, 6-2). Aryna Sabalenka won by the same score – but slightly faster – against Slovenian Hercog. The Belarusian, who completed 2020 with two titles in Ostrava and Linz, has a tenth victory in a row. Marketa Vondrousova, she bowed at the start. The Czech ranked 21st in the world was surprised in three sets by Su-Wei Hsieh (3-6, 6-3, 7-6). Jennifer Brady, the world n ° 24, was also bowed at the outset, against Slovenian Tamara Zidansek. The American won the first set 6-0, before taking the next two 6-3, 6-4. On the other hand, no problem for Karolina Pliskova, the seeded n ° 3 who, even if she changed opponents at the last minute (the Greek Papamichail replaced the Romanian Cirstea), won 6-2, 7-6 in 1:22, losing only once his serve. Elina Svitolina, seeded No. 2, meanwhile took 1h23 to dominate the American Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-4, 6-3. The Ukrainian saved the four break points that her opponent got and did not lose her serve.
ABU DHABI (United Arab Emirates, WTA 500, hard outside, 460,730 €)
First edition
2nd round
Kenin (USA, No. 1) – Flipkens (BEL)
Krejcikova (RTC) – Putintseva (KAZ, n ° 13)
Sakkari (GRE, n ° 9) – Gauff (USA)
Sasnovich (BIE) – Muguruza (ESP, n ° 5)
Sabalenka (BIE, n ° 4) – Tomljanovic (AUS)
Bondarenko (UKR, Q) – Jabeur (TUN, n ° 15)
Muchova (RTC, n ° 12) – Kasatkina (RUS)
X.Wang (CHN) – Rybakina (KAZ, n ° 6)
Hsieh (TAI) – Kostyuk (UKR)
Fernandez (CAN) – Zidansek (SLO)
Pera (USA) – Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
Gasanova (RUS, Q) – Ka.Pliskova (RTC, n ° 3)
Cornet (FRA) – Badosa (ESP)
Turati (ITA, Q) – Kudermetova (RUS)
Alexandrova (RUS, n°17) – Watson (GBR)
Zvonareva (RUS) – Svitolina (UKR, n ° 2)
1st round
Kenin (USA, n ° 1) bat Yang (CHN, Q): 7-6 (4), 6-2
Flipkens (BEL) bat Siegemund (ALL) : 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
Krejcikova (RTC) bat Loeb (USA) : 6-1, 6-3
Putintseva (KAZ, n ° 13) a Trevisan (ITA): 6-3, 6-3
Sakkari (GRE, n ° 9) bat Potapova (RUS) : 6-4, 6-2
Gauff (USA) bat Eikeri (NOR): 6-0, 6-1
Sasnovich (BIE) bat Bondar (HON, Q): 6-2, 6-3
Muguruza (ESP, n ° 5) bat Mladenovic (FRA): 6-2, 6-4
Sabalenka (BIE, n ° 4) bat Herzog (SLO): 7-6 (5), 6-2
Tomljanovic (AUS) bat Zhu (CHN): 6-2, 7-6 (1)
Bondarenko (UKR, Q) whip Y.Wang (CHN): 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Jabeur (TUN, n ° 15) bat Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) : 7-6 (3), 6-3
Muchova (RTC, n ° 12) bat Kovinic (MNE): 6-4, 6-1
Kasatkina (RUS) whip Q.Wang (CHN): 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
X.Wang (CHN) bat Rus (PBS) : 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Rybakina (KAZ, n ° 6) bat Stefanini (ITA, Q) : 6-1, 6-3
Hsieh (TAI) bat Vondrousova (RTC, n ° 8): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Kostyuk (UKR) bat Hradecka (RTC, Q) : 6-2, 6-4
Fernandez (CAN) a Paolini (ITA): 6-4, 6-2
Zidansek (SLO) bat Brady (USA, n°11) : 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
Currency (USA) bat Vekic (CRO, n°16) : 7-6 (10), 2-6, 6-4
Sorribes Tormo (ESP) bat Podoroska (ARG): 6-3, 6-3
Gasanova (RUS, Q) bat Barthel (ALL) : 6-2, 6-4
Ka.Pliskova (RTC, n ° 3) bat Papamichail (GRE, LL) : 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Cornet (FRA) bat Grammatikopoulou (GRE, LL): 6-2, 6-2
Badosa (ESP) bat Sevastova (LET): 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
Turati (ITA, Q) bat Shvedova (KAZ): 6-1, 6-2
Kudermetova (RUS) bat Kontaveit (EST, n ° 10): 7-5, 6-1
Alexandrova (RUS, n°17) bat Diyas (KAZ): 6-4, 6-4
Watson (GBR) bat Burrage (GBR, LL) : 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Zvonareva (RUS) bat Hesse (FRA, Q): 6-3, 6-4
Svitolina (UKR, n ° 2) bat Pegula (USA) : 6-4, 6-3
