Alizé Cornet continues her American tour. By participating in the qualifiers of the Miami Masters 1000, the Nice native was looking for a fresh start.
Breaking the negative spiral. That was Alizé Cornet’s goal upon arriving in Miami. The Nice native has been on a four-match losing streak since her performance in the round of 16 in Cluj. After a season start ruined by a shoulder injury, it’s challenging to climb back up the rankings and re-enter the top 100 with the aim of competing in Roland-Garros.
Against Storm Hunter (29 years old, ranked 124th in the world), the task did not seem insurmountable. Yet, the start of the match proved difficult. Both players struggled to hold their serves. After each player secured three breaks, the set went to a tie-break. In this decisive moment, the player from Nice falters completely, failing to hold her serve even once. More tenacious on her serves, the Australian logically took the first set (77-61).
Roller Coasters
Stung, Alizé Cornet responded in the second act. More solid on both first and second serves, she dominated her opponent from the start. Determined, the French player managed to save three break points to take the second set (6-2).
Continuing her momentum, the player from Nice took the lead in the first game. But when aiming for a double break, the Australian resisted well. Holding serves became increasingly difficult. Towards the end of the match, after saving two new break points, Storm Hunter broke back against the French player. A disastrous scenario unfolded for Alizé Cornet, who seemed to lose her footing and faltered once again on her serve, thus handing the match to her opponent.
Final score (7-6/2-6/6-4) for Storm Hunter, who will face Julie Niemeier for a spot in the main draw in Miami. The only positive point for Alizé Cornet is that she will return to the top 100 this Monday.
