After her two-stage victory against Lucie Havlickova, Alizé Cornet took on the experienced Kaia Kanepi. A challenging task as she tried to reach the quarter-finals in Prague for the first time.
In Prague, Alizé Cornet progressed from facing the youngest opponent in the draw to the oldest. Twenty years separate Lucie Havlickova (18 years old) and Kaia Kanepi (38 years old, ranked 92nd in the world). This time, there was no room for error. The only previous encounter between the two players dates back to… 2010! A duel at the US Open won by the Estonian at the time in three sets.
From the very first games, the match promised to be very tight. Between Kanepi with her powerful game and Cornet’s tactical expertise, it was difficult to pick a favorite. Each player showcased her strengths in a fast-paced match. In perfect conditions for a tennis match, the first set came down to a tie-break. More focused on the crucial points, the player from Nice consistently forced her opponent into errors. While attempting to add more power, Kanepi lost her rhythm, while Cornet tightened her game on her first serves. The Azur player took the first set (77-61) after more than an hour of play.
The wind disrupts the party
At the start of the second set, Alizé Cornet maintained her momentum to gain the upper hand. Kaia Kanepi seemed unsettled by the tie-break loss after having led for much of the previous set. The Estonian made more unforced errors. Although the veteran seemed physically stronger, she gave away too many points to hope to prevail. However, the weather shuffled the deck. The wind picked up and disrupted both players, particularly during their serves. Under these conditions, the match balanced out. Towards the end of the set, Cornet fought to make a difference by converting the fourth break point at 4-4 and served for the match. But Kaia Kanepi had other plans and managed to break back for the fourth time to ultimately win 7-5.
A frustrating scenario for the player from Nice, who found herself embroiled in yet another extended match. Both players drew on their last reserves in this final set. And in this battle of endurance, Alizé Cornet managed, after more than three hours, to make the difference. More precise with her shots, she eventually triumphed (77-61 / 5-7 / 6-4) in 3:16 and qualified for the quarter-finals in Prague for the first time.
In the next round, she will face the German Tamara Korpatsch.
