After the great battle fought yesterday against the Belgian Wickmayer, won in three sets, Alizé Cornet took on the Dutch world No. 1 seed, Arantxa Rus, today. A match that could have given the Frenchwoman her best performance of 2024 and access to the 3rd round of the Cluj tournament.
With her dazzling form at the moment and a level of performance she has rarely reached, Arantxa Rus (world No. 45 vs. Alizé Cornet, world No. 104) was favored before the match. However, over their long careers, the two women have faced each other twice, in 2010 and 2021. Alizé has always done well, winning both encounters against the Dutchwoman.
Cornet set the pace right from the start, making a bold break, announcing her intention to challenge the No. 1 seed. Despite Rus’s quick response, equalizing at 1-1, Cornet maintained her focus. The two women exchanged blow for blow throughout the afternoon, taking each other’s serve turn by turn. It was indeed the Azuréenne who emerged victorious from this first battle (5-3). Despite missing 8 set points at the end of a marathon game with 37 rallies, Alizé then delivered a flawless game to Arantxa to take the 1st set (6-4).
A showdown gone wrong
Cornet struggled at the start of the 2nd set, as demonstrated by a drop shot sent into the net in the 3rd game. Trailing 3-1, the Azuréenne began to show signs of frustration on the court. Determined and true to her reputation of never giving up, Cornet tried to regain control of the situation. While each game led to deuce, the Frenchwoman cracked first. Rus won this showdown and took the 2nd set (6-4).
As tension was palpable on the court and both players dreamed of securing their spot in the quarterfinals, Alizé quickly lost her temper with the umpire. A pivotal point in the match. The Niçoise seemed discouraged. After showing some signs of fatigue and some physical issues, the Frenchwoman completely lost her grip on the match. The Dutchwoman won decisively (6-0) in the 3rd set.
After a long match of nearly 3 hours, Alizé Cornet fell to the world No. 45, Arantxa Rus (6-4, 4-6, 0-6). It will be some time before we see the Niçoise back on the tennis courts.
