In the second round of the Bari tournament, Alizé Cornet faced Greek player Valentíni Grammatikopoúlou (ranked 247th in the world, 26 years old). An opponent whose ranking does not reflect her level.
Alizé Cornet was back on the court the day after her victory against Hungarian Réka Luca Jani. For her return to European soil after a rather disappointing American tour, the player from Nice chose the Bari challenger. A small WTA 125 tournament played on clay. Facing Valentíni Grammatikopoúlou, whose preferred surface is clay, the task did not seem easy.
This was confirmed in the first set. Despite somewhat erratic tennis, the Greek player made the Maralpine play. Very fortunate on some points, Valentíni Grammatikopoúlou took advantage of an Alizé Cornet who was sometimes a bit too reserved on the court. Struggling with her first serve (only 25%), the Frenchwoman had difficulty establishing her game. Despite her opponent’s numerous mistakes, the breaks followed each other, allowing the Greek to take the first set (6-4).
Without panicking, Alizé Cornet returned to the court with better intentions. On a clay court of questionable quality, both players struggled in long rallies. At the start of the second set, the Azuréenne was much more aggressive on returns. By shortening the rallies, she created the opportunity to catch the native of Kilkís off guard. Cornet took the second set (6-4) with her fourth break of the match.
Alizé Cornet bends but does not break
The match was heading towards a new marathon match after the one concluded in 2 hours and 17 minutes the day before. Not succeeding at the start of the final set, the player from Nice lost the thread of the match. In contrast, Valentíni Grammatikopoúlou was much more precise in her strokes. Her forehand allowed her to take the lead. More comfortable at the net, the Greek made the number one seed of the tournament fold. At (5-2) everything suggested the match would end quickly. But that was without knowing Alizé Cornet’s fondness for comebacks. The player from Nice erased a double break and caused her opponent to hesitate. Mentally affected, Valentíni Grammatikopoúlou let slip a match that seemed within her reach.
Alizé Cornet won in a suspenseful finish (4-6/6-4/7-5) in 2 hours and 53 minutes. In the next round, she will face a young Italian, Jennifer Ruggeri.
