Alize Cornet thrashes Sania Mirza at 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg
Alize Cornet ousted Indian tennis-pro Sania Mirza 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 on Tuesday in the opening round of 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg in France.
Cornet started the match on a very positive note as she broke serve in the very first game of the opening set. Mirza broke straight back to stay in the set but Cornet showed amazing determination as she broke the serve again in
tenth game to clinch the opener.
Mirza looked a bit rusty in the first set but bounced back brilliantly in the second set. Although Cornet made the first serve break back of the set, the Indian made a double serve break to earn 5-3 lead in the set. She then held
on to her next ser game to level the set score 1-1.
Mirza looked to attack her opponent as the final set started but committed a fair number of unforced errors in the process. Cornet was quick to spot the opportunities and make the challenger pay for her mistakes as she broke serve
three times to seal the contest after 2 hours and 4 minutes of play.
Cornet’s accurate, on target serve proved to be the real difference between the two players, as she achieved an impressive 67 percent first serve conversion. She also earned vital serve ace points with her blistering serves. A
share of 51 per cent points in the serve return department allowed the Frenchwomen to dictate terms.
Mirza, on the other hand, was unable to handle the heat and struggled to convert the break chances. The 24-year-old managed to win only six out of the fourteen break chances in the match. She must be very disappointed with the
result after she had done so well to force the match into a decider.
Ranked 80th in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, Cornet has given considerable results on the tour since the start of this season. She looked in great form again here in the first round match of the red clay courts
tournament but she must up her game play even more if she wants to stand a chance against other top seeded players at the WTA tournament.
Tags: