Un capital feat for Alizé Cornet. The Frenchwoman started her US Open in a very good way by eliminating the defending champion, Emma Raducanu, 11e world player, in the first round (6-3, 6-3), Tuesday August 30. The Briton had amazed the world of tennis in 2021 by becoming the first player in sacred history in a grand slam after being qualified, moreover without losing a single set of the tournament.
For her big return to Flushing Meadows, she was once again a rarity, since her poor performance made her the third player in the history of the New York Major, to be released as soon as she entered the competition. following her coronation, after the Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005 and the German Angelique Kerber in 2017.
For their first confrontation, Alizé Cornet overcame his chronic awkwardness in service (9 double faults), dominating the exchanges, more aggressive (22 winning shots against 15) and also taking advantage of the unforced errors of his opponent (30 against 22).
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A prosperous season in the Majors
“I put my heart into it, the atmosphere (of the Louis-Armstrong court) was great and I’m very happy to have won”, commented the 32-year-old Frenchwoman who will face the Czech Katerina Siniakova in the next round ( 83e). “I’m more mature and I manage to better manage my emotions,” she said to explain the good results she posted this year in the Majors.
In Australia at the very start of the year, she reached the quarter-finals of a Major for the first time in her career. She was then beaten in the third round at Roland Garros and in the round of 16 at Wimbledon where she knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek in the third round, ending the Pole’s 37-game winning streak.
Alizé Cornet competes in New York for her 63e Grand Slam tournament in a row, a new record after equaling the former mark held by the Japanese Ai Sugiyama at Wimbledon. For Emma Raducanu, 19, her difficulty in confirming her status as a new star is confirmed, she who since her New York exploit has not gone beyond the quarter-final stage of a WTA circuit tournament and the second round of a Major.
