The birthday present for Cornet is a 4th round place in Australia
MELBOURNE – Alize Cornet stood in the middle of the pitch at Margaret Court Arena, waving to singing fans and beating her heart out after winning the third round of the Australian Open on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
While the experienced French actress was thrilled with the serenade on her 32nd birthday, she much preferred her own gift – a shot in the quarterfinals of a grand slam tournament that could be her last year on tour.
On the hottest day of the tournament so far in Corbour Park, Cornet won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 over 29th seed Tamara Zidanšek in 2 hours and 43 minutes.
In Australia, she qualified for the fourth round for the first time in 13 years and remembered how she had a match point before losing last time in 2009 to finalist finalist Dinara Safina of Russia.
“I think that’s why we all keep playing and keep trying because we’re so addicted to those feelings, that joy right after the game,” Cornet said. “It’s really amazing. Starting the year this way I definitely want to play more tennis.”
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Cornet in 61st place will next play with two-time top winner Simona Halep. He’s not looking over it yet.
“I don’t want to think about this quarterfinal because I have a feeling it’s getting a little like an obsession,” she said. “I enjoy my run so much so far. I had a really great time on the field again with an audience that supports me. I want to fill my heart with all this energy without thinking that I will finally get to my quarterfinals, which I am looking for. for the last 15 years. “
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KYRGIAN COMMUNICATION
Nick Kyrgios claimed that he was threatened at the players’ gym in Melbourne Park after he and Thanasi Kokkinakis upset the best holders of the Croatian couple, Nikola Mektić and Matej Pavić, in a doubles match of the second round of the Australian Open in front of a roaring home crowd.
The Australians won 7-6 (8), 6-3, and the teams shook hands on the net.
According to Kyrgios, the problems started when a member of the support team approached him after the match.
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“Just to inform you after yesterday’s chop fest in doubles, my opponent’s coach and coach started threatening to be in the players’ gym … tennis is a soft sport … all because I moved and hit them with tennis ball, ” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Kokkinakis, who described it in a post on social media, said “That was crazy !!” and joked that it was like the UFC.
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SWEET DREAMS
What was Adrian Mannarin’s first priority before the fourth game against 20-time grand winner Rafael Nadal?
sleep.
The French left-hander went to bed until almost dawn on Saturday, after a late victory secured him the best result at the Grand Slam.
Mannarino, who ranks 69th, finished his 4-hour and 38-minute third round with a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4 win over 18th seed Aslan Karatsev. , semi-finalist of the Australian Open 2021, at 2.33 local time in Melbourne.
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“To be honest, I’m not feeling well. I’m kind of exhausted right now, but it was cool,” Mannarino said in an interview after the match. “I was so focused on what I had to do. I didn’t think I was tired. I said to myself, ‘Okay, go get to the next point.’
Even at the end, there were still some vocal fans at the Margaret Court Arena.
“The crowd was cool. Some people probably had a few drinks and commented, ”Mannarino said.
Nadal advanced on Friday around midnight at the Rod Laver Arena with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over second-placed Russian, No. 28 Karen Khachanov.
“It’s 3 o’clock in the morning, I don’t care who I play next,” Mannarino said. “That’s the last thing I’m going to think about. Now I just want to enjoy the moment.”
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