Alize Cornet sends Jelena Ostapenko to the exit at the French Open

Alize Cornet in action during the second round of the French Open 

Jelena Ostapenko was ousted by not only the competition but the crowd at the French Open Thursday night. In support for the French star, Alize Cornet battled the 13th seed through three sets on Philippe Chatrier, winning 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 on the grounds of Roland Garros. It was an upset of a former champion that made many in the stands happy that a French player could advance.

The two got together for a fifth meeting and the first one to occur on the clay court. They each have two wins against the other, and with Cornet mulling about retirement, she has been enjoying the time on Chatrier. The 33-year-old started her first round there against Misaki Doi, taking care of the Japanese player. Her battles against Ostapenko have been a mix of challenges and smooth victories. With both playing well in their openers, it assured there would be no smooth transition for either.

Cornet earned the opening service and drew errors from Ostapenko early. She nearly had a serve to love but watched the Latvian tally a pair of points before closing it. Ostapenko was all over the place on her serve, giving Cornet the break. The French star consolidated the second with a near-perfect run in the third for a 3-0 score. With majority of the crowd behind Cornet, it promised to be an uphill battle for Ostapenko. She experienced this more in the fourth, with her shots falling wide of the tramlines and barely any accuracy. A double fault ended the game, handing Cornet the double break where she, in turn, consolidated for a 5-0 lead.

The Latvian ran out of time and ideas on how to overcome her problems but with help from Cornet’s terrific return game, she closed out the set with a winner to end the first in 24 minutes. Ostapenko recorded 16 unforced errors and scored just eight points in the competition. Major changes had to come to her game to stave off elimination in the second stanza.

Cornet opened the set and almost had a seventh game win on the horizon. A mistake at 40-30 gotnb Ostapenko to deuce, where she produced an AD point, scoring the break. She gained momentum on serve after fighting Cornet on deuce through three breaks. With the 2-0 lead, she opened up three breakpoints in the third, let one get away, and clinch the double break. The Latvian consolidated to a four-game winning streak, but the fifth saw a change from Cornet, who refused to hand another break to the 21-year-old.

Performing better on serve, the French star gave the crowd something to cheer for, but Ostapenko won the sixth on a break to love, taking a 5-1 lead. In an attempt to stay alive in the set, Cornet tried to hold off the Latvian but made a critical miscue on game point. It opened the door once more for the 13th seed. On the first AD point, Ostapenko evened the match with a final error, putting the second set down in 31 minutes. Cornet’s second serve was not up to par and stood out as the biggest problem. She scored just one point on eight tries and two double faults while the Latvian’s offense was running high.

Improvements came quickly in the third, where she successfully broke Ostapenko. The 13th seed hunted down a chance to break back in the second but blew her breakpoint on a long return. The two got into a fight for the AD point that spanned five breaks and lasted ten minutes. In the end, it was Cornet taking the victory and a two-game lead in the decider. Tension became a problem for Ostapenko, who struggled with the first serve and didn’t have much from the second either. She surrendered another game, handing Cornet the double break. The Latvian landed good winners in the fourth, that assisted in her breaking back. Good court positioning and defense against Cornet helped her notch a second win, sitting one back from leveling the score.

Cornet held serve in the sixth to keep Ostapenko trailing by two games. The Latvian had a chance to get within one but double-faulted and erred to bring Cornet to deuce in the seventh. An error from the French star brought up an AD point for the 13th seed, who watched a return go into the net from the other end. Every point was dramatically played in the eighth, and on deuce, it took Cornet just once to hold her service and lead 5-3. Ostapenko complained to the umpire because she heard someone make a call on the court.

It was a moment that couldn’t be changed and forced Ostapenko to continue playing. Cornet earned two match points on a long ball from the Latvian, who then handed the victory with one last shot into the net, ending 1 hour and 41 minutes.