TENNIS

‘Never too late’: Cornet beginning to believe after Halep upset

4 years ago - Sportingbase

Shock Australian Open quarter-finalist Alizé Cornet has declared it’s “never too late” to achieve her dream of winning a Grand Slam after making the final eight of a premiere event for the first time in 60 attempts.

The French world no.61 has been a mainstay on the tour since 2006, where the then-15-year-old was granted a wildcard entry by her home slam and immediately delivered a Roland Garros upset over 71st-ranked Alina Jidkova.

Since then, Cornet has competed in 59 consecutive slams, the second-most in history.

That incredible record has come with another, more unwanted one, hanging around her neck since the streak first began in 2009 — the 32-year-old had actually never made it past the fourth round at any of the tour’s glittering top-level slams. It was a record she finally quashed on Monday, outlasting Simona Halep in a gruelling 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 epic.

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Cornet couldn’t hold back her emotions on the court after she pulled off the three-game victory, breaking down in tears before talking to media. “Thirteen years later… it feels amazing!” she declared.

“The battle I had with Simona today with this heat. After 30 minutes we were both dying on the court. We kept going for two and a half hours with all our hearts. Congrats to Simona because I know she struggled a lot, and I admire this player so much. She is such a fighter, an example for me.

“To be here today and go to my first quarter-final is just a dream come true,” the French star said, and admitted she was already imagining how deep she could go now. “It’s never too late to try again.”

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The Halep-Cornet battle was a particularly brutal one for both stars. Temperatures hit 33 degrees Celsius by 4pm in Melbourne, and both the French victor and Romanian veteran were pushed to their limits.

At one stage, Cornet even needed to take an ice break, where she simply shook.

Halep said: “I was close to just giving up because I was exhausted, how I looked actually. But I felt like she’s starting to [go] missing and I just stayed there. I fought for every ball but with not much confidence … it was a little turnaround but then in the end was not enough.

“It’s been a tough battle, and actually she was a little bit stronger than me in the end,” the two-time grand slam winner said after her fourth-round loss. “All the credit to her for this victory.”

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Cornet has admitted her breakthrough is “perfect” timing as she considers her future.

“I’ve been telling myself I’m playing probably my last year,” she admitted after beating Spanish title hopeful Garbine Muguruza the round before. “I’m not sure yet. [I’ve been] trying to beat this Grand Slam record… [after that] it’ll be a good time for to retire.”

The French star now faces American Danielle Collins (the event’s 27th seed) in the first quarter-final of her career. The game will be played on Rod Laver Arena at 11am this Wednesday.