WTA Bad Homburg: Angelique Kerber loses a heat battle in the quarterfinals against Alizé Cornet

“Today wasn’t my day, but I tried to get everything out of it,” explained Angelique Kerber after the end. “Nevertheless, I enjoyed playing here in front of a full stadium and a home crowd. Of course you’re disappointed when it’s not enough in the end.”

From the first minute it was clear that it would be a difficult journey for the defending champion from Kiel.

Alizé Cornet played powerful lawn tennis in front of 3,500 spectators on the sold-out Center Court and brought the world number 18. also in distress when returning. Kerber initially kept a cool head and fended off the first break ball of the game at 1: 2.

After that it got turbulent: Kerber got the break to make it 3: 2, then gave up her service game and conceded a break to make it 3: 5.

Cornet, on the other hand, lost her service again, but then won the set-deciding game on the return after 45 minutes of play to make it 6:4.

Kerber was not disturbed by the deficit.

The 2018 Wimbledon winner continued to struggle, but made the break to make it 2-1. An advantage that the favorite never gave up. Also because the error rate at Cornet skyrocketed. With his own serve, Kerber finally equalized the set.

First defeat for Kerber in Bad Homburg

It was a fine line for both players.

Cornet put the first pinprick in the third set, who managed the break to make it 2-0. In retrospect, the preliminary decision. The French even managed the break to make it 5-1 before ending the game after an hour and 54 minutes with the second match point.

After the triumph at the tournament premiere last year, it was Kerber’s first defeat ever in Bad Homburg. “The second serve and the return were not my strengths, I made a few mistakes there. But I believed until the end that I could still win the match,” said Germany’s number one.