The Azuréennes went through many emotions today at the Open de Rouen. With mixed fortunes…
Fiona Ferro kicked off the event. Against the finalist of the previous edition, Viktorija Golubic (30 years old, ranked 105th in the world), the French player was outmatched. Clearly lacking rhythm after playing two matches of over two hours, the Valbonnaise by adoption was short on clarity. Facing a solid opponent on her baseline and a good returner, Fiona Ferro quickly fell behind. Not decisive enough on her second serve, she was often outpaced by Viktorija Golubic’s forehand. As a result, the French player logically lost the first set (3-6), despite making a few nice points.
The rest of the match followed the same pattern. Fiona Ferro couldn’t find her second wind. The games flew by and the deficit became too challenging to overcome. Despite a display of pride at the end of the match, it was all too late. Fiona Ferro was defeated in two sets (3-6/2-6) in 1h22. Although far from her level of the past few days, there is a lot of positive to take from this week in Rouen.
Alizé Cornet never gave up
Another marathon match! But this one will have a special place in Alizé Cornet’s heart. Facing the Spaniard Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (32 years old, ranked 132nd in the world), who was recently in the top 50, the Niçoise held on not to collapse. Everything could have gone very quickly after the first set. Without solutions, Alizé Cornet couldn’t get into the game. One might then think that the two previous rounds had taken their toll on her legs, just like her compatriot earlier. But that’s underestimating the Niçoise. Trailing (6-1/0-3) Cornet returned to the court with a fierce desire to battle. We were set for another marathon match. More focused on her serve, she completely reversed the trend and managed to unsettle Nuria Parrizas-Diaz. She won the second set (6-4) with the support of the crowd who believed again.
However, there were doubts nonetheless. Though the match was balanced at the start of the third set, the French player experienced a sudden lapse for about twenty minutes. Alizé Cornet seemed affected. What could be more normal after spending over six hours on the court in three days? But the Maralpine is a warrior and has proven it countless times. The Rouennais crowd was about to witness it.
After saving a match point on her serve, she managed to break back her visibly unsettled opponent taken aback by the turn of events. The intensity reached another level. Parrizas-Diaz had another opportunity to close the match on the Frenchwoman’s serve. Once again, she failed. Cornet held her serve. The pressure shifted to the other side of the net, overwhelming the Spanish camp. The Niçoise took the opportunity to break her opponent’s serve for the third and final time. Three match points later, it was liberation. Alizé Cornet pulled through almost miraculously (1-6/6-4/7-5) in 2h47!
A match that will surely weigh on her legs. But that’s secondary. Now, Alizé Cornet has a date with the semi-finals. She will face a raw gemstone of the women’s circuit, the Russian Erika Andreeva.
