Tennis: Fiona Ferro advances, Alizé Cornet withdraws in Rouen

The Rouen Open began this Monday with a fine victory from Fiona Ferro. A 250 tournament that Alizé Cornet had to withdraw from due to a triceps injury.

This was supposed to mark Alizé Cornet’s return to France. In good form at the beginning of the month for her return to competition, the Nice native is paying the price for three months of intensive efforts to return to the top level. Already weakened ten days ago at the La Bisbal d’Empordà tournament, Alizé Cornet nevertheless responded positively to the selection of the French tennis team last week. After playing two doubles with Diane Parry, she aggravated her triceps injury during her singles match lost on Friday.

A physical setback that led her to withdraw from this tournament which was supposed to mark the end of her retirement. “It is with great disappointment that I unfortunately have to withdraw from the Rouen Open tournament,” regretted the former world number 11, confirming her injury. “I was looking forward to returning to Rouen to celebrate my comeback on the circuit but my body did not handle the intensity of these first two weeks of my return well.”

However, her return is not called into question. This is just an unfortunate setback. “I hope to be able to return as soon as possible to continue enjoying myself,” she concludes. Her next appointment should be next week for the qualifications of the Madrid WTA 1000 tournament. An objective that may seem ambitious for recovering from a muscle injury. On the other hand, the qualifications for the Rome tournament ten days later seem more appropriate.

Fiona Ferro back on the professional circuit

She had more or less disappeared from view in recent months. After a break of nearly seven months and a loss to Jil Teichmann in Rome qualifications, Fiona Ferro made her return cautiously. The player from Maralpes has been competing in small tournaments in search of good results. She returned at the Macon ITF in late February (loss in the Round of 16), then at the Helsinki ITF in Finland (loss in the quarterfinals) before arriving at the Rouen WTA 250. Invited for the tournament qualifications, she earned her place in the main draw by defeating her compatriots Emeline Dartron and Manon Leonard. Two players far from the Top 100 like her. The former Top 50 member has now dropped to 376th place in the world.

Now it’s time for a climb to first get back to WTA tournaments and why not recover a spot for Roland-Garros qualifications. To do so, the Côte d’Azur player was facing fourth seed, American McCartney Kessler (25 years old, 43rd in the world). A player who is having a very solid season with notably a final in Austin.

However, the WTA Rouen takes place on clay. A surface favored by Fiona Ferro, contrary to the American. This does not prevent McCartney Kessler from immediately taking the lead and dominating almost the entire first set. But Fiona Ferro manages to react to force a tie-break. Despite obtaining a set point, the Valbonne native loses the first set (7-6) ten points to eight.

Nothing to discourage the French player. Fiona Ferro manages to take a double break advantage at the start of the second set. A solid advantage that she will maintain with fine solidity on her serves. She wins the second set (6-2).

The match is back on and highly competitive. McCartney Kessler thinks she has taken a decisive advantage by managing to break at (3-1). But struggling on each of their serves, the two players make the match very uncertain. Fiona Ferro manages to level at 3-2 and ends up converting another break opportunity at (5-6). The Maralpes player thus wins her round of 16 in the early hours. Victory in three sets (6-7/6-2/7-5) and just under three hours of play. In the next round she will play the winner of the all-French duel between Margaux Rouvroy and Jessika Ponchet.

Before then we will see another player from Maralpes invited by the tournament. Diane Parry will face Romanian Jaqueline Cristian tomorrow late in the day.