Read more about Alize Cornet reaches quarterfinals at her 63rd Grand Slam on Business Standard. Cornet recovered after a second-set meltdown in the hot Melbourne sun on Monday to advance to the last eight at the Australian Open
dropped to her knees on the hard blue court, clasped her hands and took a few moments to let it sink in. In her 17th trip to the Australia Open, her 63rd run at a Grand Slam, and two days after celebrating her 32nd birthday, Cornet finally qualified for the quarterfinals at one of the four major events in Cornet recovered after a second-set meltdown in the hot Melbourne sun on Monday to advance to the last eight at the Australian Open with a 6-4,3-6,6-4 win over two-time major champion Simona Halep. It’s never too late to try again! Cornet said in her on-court TV interview. To be in my first quarterfinal. It’s a dream come true. The journey goes on. I still can’t believe it.” Cornet led by a set and 3-1 before losing five consecutive games and 16 straight points as Halep took the match to a decider. The match was 2-2 in the third set after Cornet held a service game at love, saying allez after every shot she hit. Halep got a break-point chance two games later with a forehand down the line that just caught the outside of the paint and which Cornet could barely believe. She saved it and held serve, then broke Halep’s serve for a 4-3 lead that set her on course for the quarterfinals. Cornet will next play Danielle Collins, the No.27 seed from the United States who beat 19th-seeded Elise Mertens 4-6,6-4,6-4 in an almost three-hour match to open play on Rod Laver Arena. Collins was a semifinalist in Australia in 2019. Cornet made her main draw Grand Slam singles debut as a wild-card entry at the 2005 French Open.
