For their first match in Group I of the Billie Jean King Cup, the French team called upon Diane Parry and Alizé Cornet. The two players from Nice played doubles while France had already won their duel against Sweden.
It had been nearly two years since they last teamed up on a tennis court. And it was not supposed to happen again after the announcement of Alizé Cornet’s retirement. But in sports, things can change quickly. Back in competition last week, the former world number 11 is still considering what direction to take for her career. For now, she seems happy to have returned to competition. She had just withdrawn in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 tournament in La Bisbal d’Emporda, so it was quite a surprise to see her selected with the French tennis team for this week’s Billie Jean King Cup. Called as the 5th player, Alizé Cornet was set to play doubles matches if needed.
This afternoon, while France had already secured their victory against Sweden earlier, Alizé Cornet played doubles with her compatriot, Diane Parry. The two players from Nice know each other well, having already played together six times on the circuit. However, they hadn’t teamed up since 2023 and a defeat in the round of 16 at Roland-Garros.
A match to find their rhythm
With only one real day of training under their belts, the two players entered their match perfectly. Facing the Swedish pair of Linea Bajraliu (ranked 1310th in the world) and Lisa Zaar (ranked 511th in the world), the Azuréennes (players from the Azure region) showed no mercy in the first set. They won it easily (6-2). The rest of the match was more challenging as they lost the second set (4-6). Pushed to a super tie-break, Alizé Cornet and Diane Parry narrowly came through 13-11.
A narrow victory (6-2/4-6/13-11) that nonetheless was beneficial for both players. Now, it remains to be seen if they will be paired again tomorrow against Turkey. The goal is to secure a victory to face a team from Group C on Friday and have a chance to play a playoff to return to the World Group.