Alize Cornet had a tough time with her new opponent from her neck of the woods but came out victorious at the Australian Open Tuesday. The 28th seed went the distance against Myrtille Georges to come out with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 score on Court 14 on the grounds of Melbourne Park.
The 26-year-old made her first debut in Melbourne qualifying for the round of 128 getting her WTA season in play against a sizable opponent. The world number 43 has more than experience playing in her 12th appearance where she hasn’t been further than the third round since 2009. She’d hope that aside from getting through the opening round, that further chances of remaining competitive would be essential to her future in the tournament.
Cornet started off well despite having a double fault on serve. She brought her second serve into play that allowed her to keep on track and take the opening game. Goerges held serve in the second but after finishing, Cornet took off and completed the third game in an instant giving the indication of her playing at full potential. Georges counteracted on service in the fourth fighting for control of deuce. She got it locked down to stay on serve and play forward.
Cornet had to put some effort into serve in the fifth but after a couple of breaks, she took down Georges on the advantage to step ahead. The course of the set changed well for the French ranked player as she attacked on defense to get the first break and lead by two games. Georges reciprocated in the seventh to get within one but the pressure continued to stay in favor with Cornet. She made good in the eighth breaking the 26-year-old to serve for the match in the next game. Cornet set the pace and direction of her shots in the rallies that led her to two set points. On her second attempt, Cornet blasted an ace with a sharp angle that gave her the match lead after 36 minutes.
She kept the winning streak alive scoring another break in the first that had her on the right track to start the second. She got the break in the second but couldn’t consolidate back on serve in the third. That let Georges into the set but not quite at level pegging. She successfully fought off Cornet in the fourth to force deuce on serve and get the score at two all. Cornet and Georges spent the next pair of games breaking one another with Cornet taking the first move forward putting the pressure on her lower ranked opponent.
She still felt some coming from her French countrywoman who forced deuce in the eighth hoping to cash in on a break. It took three breaks in the game before a strong hold on the advantage led her to keep Cornet within reach of overtaking on the scoreboard. Double faults were becoming a major problem for the world number 43 as she couldn’t keep the second serve at a level suitable to win in straight sets. Instead, she found herself in a downspin that gave Georges the win after 49 minutes
She served to start the third set but despite her easy win in the last set, Cornet wasn’t dropping the level of her game. She forced deuce with Georges before taking the break after three draws on deuce. She added a service hold in the second hoping that the current leverage pushed her to keep ahead. It was a 3-0 lead after 15 minutes getting another break on her French counterpart who wanted to get an upset while she could.
It showed signs of effect as Georges showed a rush of frustration reacting in anger as another return slammed into the net causing her to slam her racket to the ground a few times. She continued seeing problems on court while Cornet remained cool and collected. It led to another step closer leading 4-0 after 20 minutes of play in the set.
Georges had to work very hard to stop the onslaught in the set. In the fifth, she fought with all her might to maintain service playing through a few breaks that helped her avoid the bagel. Cornet got back to serve and made it 5-1 to fight for the win on the break. Georges had nothing left to stop Cornet who got it done with two match points winning on a drop shot that her opponent couldn’t get across the net in time ending the two-hour battle.
Both players committed 13 double faults each but the difference maker was Cornet’s average service percentage that kept her out front in times of need. She won 12 of 15 points near the net and three aces. Cornet hoped that in her second-round match between the winner of Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari she would be able to put a better showing on Thursday.
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