Two days after her success in the first round, Alizé Cornet faced Fiona Ferro in the second round of the Open 35 in Saint-Malo. A close match from which the Nice native emerged victorious.
The 100% Azuréen duel lived up to all its promises. On the clay courts of Brittany, Fiona Ferro and Alizé Cornet engaged in a fratricidal duel. Both seeking sensations on this surface, they managed to find answers on the court.
Prior to this match, it was Fiona Ferro who had won in their last two encounters. A trend that the newly retired wanted to fix. Very focused on her first serve, Alizé Cornet eventually made the difference at the end of the set to win (6-4).
The rest of the match resembled Fiona Ferro’s recent encounters. The Valbonne native tightened her game and got back into the match. Trailing throughout the second set, she held on and eventually came back to (5-4), saving a match point. On the other side, Alizé Cornet remained very solid but was surprised during the next service game. An opportunity seized by Fiona Ferro to level the match (7-5).
Overall more incisive than her compatriot, Alizé Cornet finally found the key in the return games and managed to break three times (including two love games). It was too much for Fiona Ferro, who ultimately gave in after saving five additional match points.
Alizé finally won (6-4 / 5-7 / 6-3) in 2 hours and 21 minutes and will face another French player, Jessika Ponchet, tomorrow.
