A battle-ready duel. That’s what awaited Alizé Cornet at the end of the day at the 250 tournament in Lausanne. After eliminating Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in the first round, another Swiss player stood in the path of the Nice native.
Jil Teichmann (26 years old, ranked 124th in the world) is a player within Alizé Cornet‘s reach. But on home soil, things can change quickly. The Frenchwoman realized this early on. To avoid disappointment, Cornet started the match with determination. Unlike the previous day, the Nice native was stronger on her service games. This ability allowed her to quickly put pressure on her opponent’s return. With only 44% of first serves, Jil Teichmann found herself in great difficulty in the first set, which Alizé Cornet won easily, 6-1.
The second set was the opposite. The Swiss player freed herself and tried to speed up the game in quite fast conditions compared to previous days. Dominated in the exchange mid-set, Cornet couldn’t catch up and let the set slip away. The match was back on track (6-1).
A High-level Third Set
In the final set, the two players, who like each other in real life, engaged in a relentless battle. Forcing their opponent to play the extra shot. That was their motto. Despite a series of breaks, neither wanted to give up a single point. And it was finally Alizé Cornet who would come out on top after being down 4-3 on Teichmann’s serve. The Nice native forced the Swiss to make numerous unforced errors.
The No. 7 seed eventually prevailed (6-1 / 1-6 / 6-4) in just over two hours. A week after being eliminated by Switzerland in the Hopman Cup, Alizé Cornet managed to topple the two best Swiss players in the draw.
In the next round, she will face her compatriot Dianne Parry, who defeated Fiona Ferro in the first round.
