The last day of qualifications at Wimbledon has delivered its verdict. The two players from Nice who qualified for the third and final qualifying match had mixed fortunes…
This Thursday, Diane Parry and Alizé Cornet had the opportunity to qualify for the main draw of Wimbledon. The London Grand Slam is always a special case due to the surface on which it is played, namely grass. Firstly, because the grass season lasts only a short month and there are few preparatory tournaments to adapt to the increased speed of the ball.
With a few matches already under her belt at Ilkley and then in Nottingham, Diane Parry arrived with fairly solid markers. For this final qualifying match, she faced a very young 16-year-old player, Emerson Jones, already ranked 209th in the world. On the junior and professional circuit for two years, she impresses observers with her consistency at the highest level with seniors and juniors alike. With a record of 27 wins and 11 losses in 2025, it’s the least one can say that she is doing well in the tournaments. A recent semi-finalist at the Roland-Garros junior tournament, she didn’t have the opportunity to train in official competition on grass.
An important factor when considering the importance of playing on the surface to perform. Victorious quite easily in her first two matches against players better ranked than her, it seemed that the encounter would be complex for Diane Parry. Yet it was the player from Nice who largely dominated her opponent throughout the match. Despite a timid start from both sides, Diane Parry fared a bit better on experience. Much more diligent in returning, she prevented Emerson Jones’s balls from picking up speed. As a result, Diane Parry chained winning forehands and easily took the lead. Unable to produce anything else, the Australian found herself without a solution and thus left the victory and qualification to Diane Parry (6-2/6-2) in just over an hour.
Alizé Cornet believed in it for a set
Unfortunately, the most experienced player from Nice didn’t share the same fate. Alizé Cornet, invited to what could be her last tournament, had already spent considerable time on the courts over the past two days. First facing Katy Dunne and then Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, the Maralpine had already accumulated more than 4h30 of match play. A significant fact that certainly weighed heavily in the balance when facing Elsa Jacquemot (22 years old, 115th in the world).
Yet everything seemed to be going in the right direction at the start of the match. Solid, Alizé Cornet put Elsa Jacquemot in difficulty and seemed to be in control of the encounter. However, over time, things got complicated. The player from Nice eventually cracked at the end of the first set and found herself down. A blow to the morale that was fatal despite a closely contested start to the second set. Unfortunately, the games eventually passed quickly by, along with the hopes of a 73rd Grand Slam. Elsa Jacquemot logically qualified (7-6/6-1) without faltering in 1h29 of play.
This match could therefore well be the last of Alizé Cornet’s career, barring a last-minute change of heart. Though the player from Nice’s future plans are not yet known, she seems determined to hang up the racket for good this time. But with Alizé Cornet, one never knows what can happen.
