Australian Open | Simona Halep qualified for the round of 16

(Melbourne) Romania’s Simona Halep, 15^and world, qualified for the round of 16 of the Australian Open on Saturday by beating Montenegrin Danka Kovinic (98^and) 6-2, 6-1 in 1:04.

“I feel very good, even if it is very hot today, confided the ex-N. 2 worldwide. I played very well, but she was a bit tired.

Halep, 30, is advancing quietly, but calmly in the table of the first Major of the year and will find the Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet (61^and) to try to clinch a place in the quarters.

“I have more and more confidence after a difficult year,” she warned. Eliminated in the quarterfinals last year, she reached the Australian Open final in 2018.

After a season truncated by repeated injuries, the double Grand Slam winner (Roland-Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019) is off to a good start in 2022. She won the WTA tournament in Melbourne before the Australian Open and is breaking through without tremble so far a way into the Major chart.

She successively dismissed the Polish Magdalena Frech 6-4, 6-3 (102^and) in 1 h 29, then the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (83^and) 6-2, 6-0 in 1:06.

Cornet also in eighths

Alizé Cornet, 61^and world, also qualified at the end of her strength for the round of 16 of the tournament by turning around a compromised situation to beat the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek (29th) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“It was survival! I didn’t miss the Melbourne heat,” she said, radiant after her victory on her 32nd birthday.

She will try to reach the quarter-finals on Monday by facing the Romanian Simona Halep (15th).

The Frenchwoman had created a surprise in the second round by clearly dominating the Spaniard Garbine Muguruza (6-3, 6-3), but she had great difficulty in confirming.

“I couldn’t find a solution in the first set, but I kept fighting and it’s magic to have won,” she admitted.

Zidansek (24) had never passed the second round in Melbourne in his three previous appearances.

Cornet remained on three consecutive eliminations in the 2nd round in Melbourne where she had reached the round of 16 in 2009.

“Thirteen years after my first round of 16 at the Australian Open, I’m back! “, she launched to the public.

“I was so young, but I remember committing a lot of mistakes back then against (Dinara) Safina,” she recalled. At the time, she lost in three sets against the Russian, world No.3.

La Française participates in its 60^and consecutive Grand Slam tournament. She has reached the round of 16 in each of the four Majors, but has yet to play in a quarterfinal.