DUBAI // Alize Cornet was pleased to prove a few points to herself last night after an exhausting three-set win over good friend Kirsten Flipkens.
Cornet, who beat Simona Halep and Serena Williams on her way to last year's final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before losing to Venus Williams, needed only 20 minutes to wrap up the first set 6-0.
Things became a lot more difficult from there, though.
The Frenchwoman had to spend another two hours and 51 minutes more on the court before she eventually prevailed 6-0, 6-7, 6-3, after battling back from 0-3 down in the decider to take her place in the second round.
“It was emotional because I proved myself that I could actually stay calm in the third set, which I didn’t do in the beginning of the second set,” Cornet said.
“I got really nervous. I proved I could come back from a really tough score and that I could behave very good on the court and still win the match.
“So it proved a lot of things to me. That’s why I was, yeah, very emotional and because I’m dead.
“I think the emotional level is up here [indicating above her head] when you’re tired like that.”
Flipkens, her knee bandaged heavily, looked far from comfortable in the opening set and took a lengthy medical timeout before the second set.
Returning to the court, the Belgian raced to a 3-1 lead and, though Cornet broke back to level the scores at 3-3, the 29-year-old Flipkens prevailed 8-6 in the tiebreaker after an hour and 46 minutes, aided by three line calls that went against the French No 15 seed.
Cornet insisted she was not “distracted” by Flipkens’ injury, but she did wish she had not exhausted all three of her challenges so early in the second set. Had she had any left, the Hawk-Eye would have ruled all three points in her favour.
“It was my fault,” Cornet said. “I used it too early in the set and then when I needed it, I didn’t have any more.”
Cornet remonstrated with the chair umpire about the calls but she received little sympathy.
“You know what I told the chair umpire?” she said. “I told her, ‘When you will see the replay, you will think of me. You will think of me’.”
She had a friendlier exchange with Flipkens after the match.
“I told her, ‘What a big match again’,” Cornet said.
“She said, ‘Yeah, again. Again, you’. But she remains a very good friend.”
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