The preparatory tournaments for the Australian Open have started in Melbourne. The players from Nice are having mixed fortunes.
The challenge was expected to be tough for the women from Nice. Fiona Ferro was competing in the Yarra Valley Classic, in Melbourne. In the first round, the world No. 43 faced the American Shelby Rogers, ranked 60th in the world. A theoretically manageable match but more difficult in reality. After being affected by food poisoning a few weeks ago, Fiona Ferro quickly appeared out of rhythm, losing 18 points in the first 19 exchanges of the match. After losing the first set 6-2, the player from Nice recovered. She led 5-1 in the second set, with two breaks ahead. But she couldn’t close it out. Worse, she completely crumbled to eventually lose 6-2, 7-5 in 1 hour and 45 minutes of play.
Alizé Cornet faces the Osaka wall
Alizé Cornet was competing in the Gippsland Trophy, in Melbourne. In the first round, the world No. 53 struggled to defeat the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 69th in the world (5-7, 6-1, 6-3), after a gruelling 2 hours and 30 minutes of play. Naturally worn out from this first match, the player from Nice faced a giant in the second round, in the form of Japanese Naomi Osaka, the world No. 3. After a completely failed start (4-0), Alizé Cornet quickly lost the first set 6-2. Although the player from Nice put up more resistance in the second set, she was nevertheless heavily defeated in 1 hour and 15 minutes against an Osaka in a league of her own (6-2, 6-2).
Gilles Simon takes charge
Also in Melbourne, Gilles Simon kicked off his 2021 season at the Murray River Open. The world No. 64 had a favorable first-round draw against the Swedish player Elias Ymer, ranked 204th in the world. The player from Nice started his match perfectly, achieving the first break right in the first game. Never worried about his service (no break points to defend in the first set), Gilles Simon took the first set 6-4. The scenario repeated itself in the second set. The player from the French Riviera made an immediate break. He faced down 3 break points to logically win 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 30 minutes. In the second round, Gilles Simon will face another Frenchman, Jérémy Chardy, who defeated the Croatian Marin Cilic (2-6, 6-3, 7-6 in 2 hours and 35 minutes of play).
