When she beat Serena Williams in straight sets in Dubai I assumed the victory was a one-hit wonder. However, Alize Cornet proved she is the real deal, stunning the world No.1 in her backyard, on the Center Court at Wimbledon—a place where the American shone brightly so many times.
The match seemed headed for a quick finish, Serena cruising through the first set 6-1. Not sure how, but the Frenchwoman found the strength and inspiration to turn it around, leveling the dispute in tremendous fashion. With the momentum swinging in her favour, Alize built what seemed like a decisive lead. But at 2-5 down in the decider, Serena caught fire. As she did so many times before, the American mounted a comeback cutting down the deficit to force the Frenchwoman serve out the match for the second time at 5-4. A few unforced mistakes to start the game proved vital for Serena who watched her opponent serve out the biggest win of her career.
"I'm just calming down now because I was very excited for an hour. I couldn't believe it. I still cannot believe it, actually," Cornet said. "If somebody would have told me a couple years ago that I would be in the second week here at Wimbledon, and beating Serena, I wouldn't have believed it.
"It feels great. Of course, what a victory. It's the best way to get to the second week."
While Cornet reached just her second Grand Slam fourth round, Williams has now failed to make the quarterfinals at all three majors this year—she lost to Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round in Melbourne and to Garbine Muguruza in the second round at Roland Garros.
Next up for the jubilant Frenchwoman is young sensation, Canadian darling, Eugenie Bouchard whom she beat in their previous meeting.
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| Alize Cornet won the biggest match of her career, recovering from the loss of the first set to stun world No.1 on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman beat Serena Williams 1-6,6-3,6-4 to reach the fourth round. |
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