This is the major performance of this first week of Wimbledon. A feat achieved by a Frenchwoman. Alizé Cornet won in the third round against the Polish and world number 1 Iga Swiatek in two sets (6-4, 6-2) in an hour and a half. This is the third tricolor qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament, with Caroline Garcia and Harmony Tan, a first since 2005 at Wimbledon.
In the first set, it was the French who took the best start by scoring two breaks in a row to lead 3-0. The Polish erases one but does not manage to pick up. The Niçoise remains solid on her face-off and takes advantage of the astonishing clumsiness of the winner of Roland Garros. Iga Swiatek compiled 18 unforced errors in this first set which she will logically lose 6-4 in favor of a Cornet in the leg and just in her shots.
End of an incredible series for Swiatek
While she had converted all her break points so far, Alizé Cornet missed several opportunities to immediately take her opponent’s serve in the second set. An extremely contested first game that the Polish player finally won after several ties. Imperial on her serve, the Frenchwoman immediately lost her first face-off of the game and offered two sets of advances to Swiatek who then seemed to be gaining momentum. But the 37th player in the world has more than one trick up her sleeve and wins the next game by instantly breaking before picking up at 2-2.
And the global domination of Alizé Cornet will be confirmed. The French takes the service of the Polish again for the fourth time in the game. A quickly confirmed break to lead 4-2 and slowly but surely approach an XXL feat. The world number 1 is not on her plate and completely collapses, giving Cornet a prestigious victory. “It reminds me of when I beat Serena at the same time, comments the French hotly. This short is a lucky charm for me. She is a very beautiful ambassador for women’s tennis, I am very honored to have dominated her today. I live for these kinds of games. I train for these kinds of matches. Even if it is world number 1, I believed in it very hard. I have the best team by my side and the best public. I think I like challenges and I need to think about it, I don’t fully realize it yet”.
It has been eight years since a Frenchwoman eliminated a world No. 1 in a Grand Slam. It was already Alizé Cornet, who had beaten Serena Williams in the third round at Wimbledon. “I’m like good wine, I age well, that’s what they say in France, laughs the 32-year-old Niçoise who will face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the round of 16. I’m having the best season of my career, I feel great on the court, I feel good physically, I’m having fun. »
For Iga Swiatek, it is the end of an incredible series of 37 victories in a row, her last defeat dating back to February against Jelena Ostapenko during the Dubai tournament.
