In the night from Friday to Saturday, Alizé Cornet triumphed at the Hobart tournament (Australia), marking the fifth title of her career. A straightforward victory against Eugénie Bouchard (6/1 6/2) brings her closer to the Top 30 (33rd) and prepares her in the best possible way for the first Grand Slam of the season.
She had been waiting for such joy for twenty months, the joy of a new title on the WTA circuit. It is now a done deal. Eight years after her first title, which was in Budapest in 2008, the 25-year-old from Nice adds a fifth title to her collection, who previously had in her record: Bad Gastein (2012), Strasbourg (2013), and Katowice (2014).
On the other side of the world, Alizé Cornet almost achieved the perfect week, losing only one set, in the second round against a Paraguayan opponent. She benefited from Barthel’s (45th) withdrawal in the quarterfinals before easily defeating Larsson (54th) in the semi-finals, finishing the job against an unrecognizable Eugénie Bouchard since last year.
Emotionally improved and surrounded by a new team, Alizé Cornet seems ready for a new turn in her already rich career. She had reached the 11th world rank in February 2009, at just 19 years old.
Thanks to this victory in Hobart, she climbs 9 places in the WTA rankings, from 42nd to 33rd.
Now it’s time for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. This Tuesday morning, she will face Serbian Jovanovski (82nd worldwide) in the fourth match on court 6. If she qualifies, world number 2 Simona Halep could be her opponent in the second round. Not easy but feasible, considering their head-to-head record (3-1 for Cornet).
