Alizé Cornet puts an abrupt end to Emma Raducanu’s fairy tale

A few hours after Clara Burel’s victory against Elena Rybakina (Wimbledon winner), Alizé Cornet eliminated Emma Raducanu in the first round of the US Open and offered French tennis a fine performance.

Lobs (during the 1^er set), drop shots (in the 2^e), Alizé Cornet, deploying his usual energy, put an end 6-3, 6-3 in 1h42 to the fairy tale of the Briton Emma Raducanu. La Niçoise (quarter-finalist of the Australian Open, 8^e runner-up at Wimbledon this season after beating Poland’s Iga Swiatek to end her crazy 37-match winning streak) is living, at 32, her 63^e Grand Slam tournament and takes advantage of the late harvest.

22 winning points, 14 points out of 16 scored in the net, the Frenchwoman (40^e world) eliminated the one who had illuminated the tournament last year when, after qualifying, the Briton had overcome all the obstacles to go and lift the trophy. The Frenchwoman, on the court, summarized: “I’m sorry, I know you love Emma… “I put my heart into it, the atmosphere (of the Louis-Armstrong court) was great and I’m very happy to have won. I had a little slack at the start of the 2^e set, I’m tired but happy. I varied a lot, it worked very well and I have to keep the cushioning in my game. And I think I manage my emotions better, I’m getting old… When it’s time to serve for the match, I manages to stay in the game. I’m 32, better late than never. »

At 2^e turn, Alizé Cornet has an appointment with the Czech Katerina Siniakova (83^e world). Since his title in New York, Raducanu (11^e world) has won only 15 of the 34 matches she has played (after her title in New York, she was eliminated in the Grand Slam in the 2nd round at the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon , before returning to the US Open). The Briton becomes the first defending US Open champion to lose in the first round since Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005 and Germany’s Angelique Kerber in 2017. She will soon fall outside the Top 75.