Wimbledon | Alizé Cornet surprises Iga Swiatek

(Wimbledon) Favorite Iga Swiatek had been unbeaten since February and looked invincible, having won 37 games in a row and claimed six titles along the way.

However, she was never very comfortable on grass, unlike other playing surfaces, and her many errors on Saturday led to her 6-4, 6-2 loss in the third round of Wimbledon against France’s Alizé Cornet.

“I played very badly. I was confused in my strategy, said Swiatek, who has never passed the fourth round in his career at the All England Club. It was obviously not my best performance. »

Not only was the identity of the winner of the match unexpected. It was also how quickly Cornet got rid of the defending French Open champion — just an hour and 33 minutes.

“That’s what motivates me, what pushes me to continue, said Cornet, 37^e world player. It really motivates me. I knew I had the ability to do it. I believed, in a way, in my abilities. »

No player, since the 37 consecutive triumphs of the Swiss Martina Hingis in 1997, had won as many consecutive matches as Swiatek.

But from the start, we saw that it was not the day of the Polish.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she admitted.

She trailed 0-3 early on a cool and windy afternoon at the All England Club, and nine of Cornet’s first 14 points came from unforced errors by the tournament favorite. Of all these points, the Frenchwoman has only garnered one thanks to a winning shot.

Swiatek’s behavior contrasted with her usual display; she is often incisive, and very calm. After missing a forehand, she hit the tip of her right foot with her racquet.

By the end of the game, Swiatek had accumulated 33 unforced errors — 26 more than Cornet. And the Polish’s powerful forehand generated only nine winners, only two more than Cornet.

This is not Cornet’s first coup at the All England Club. She reached the fourth round of this Grand Slam tournament in 2014 after ousting American Serena Williams.

Cornet, 32, reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time in 63 attempts last January at the Australian Open. She is only one victory away from repeating the feat, provided she defeats Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the next round.

Tan keeps going

Whether her opponents are tournament favorites or crowd favourites, Harmony Tan continues to oust them from the tournament at Wimbledon.

First there was Serena Williams, holder of seven career titles on the lawn of the All England Club. Then the 32^e seeded Sara Sorribes Tormo. and on Saturday Britain’s Katie Boulter became its latest victim.

“I think I like the grass,” said Tan, who had three straight wins for the first time in his career. I love putting spin on my balls, volleying, all that stuff. »

The Frenchwoman, who is not a seed, is taking part in the Wimbledon tournament for the first time in her career. She took part in the French Open four times, where she reached the second round only once. She also participated in the Australian Open this year, where she again advanced to the second round. Then, at the US Open, she lost in the first round in 2018 — her only career appearance at Flushing Meadows.

On Saturday, Tan edged Boulter 6-1, 6-1 on Court No. 2. She didn’t face a break point, and converted five of the 10 she had.

Tan will next face American Amanda Anisimova, who will enter the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career as well.

Anisimova edged compatriot Coco Gauff 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1 on center court, after starting the game giving up the first three points. She then conceded the tiebreaker, despite leading it 4-1 at one point.

Tomljanovic advanced to the fourth round after upsetting 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

On the male side, Taylor Fritz, the 11^e seeded, beat Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (3), while Brandon Nakashima defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.

For his part, Jenson Brooksby gave in to Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, and Jack Sock lost 6-2, 4-6, 5-7, 7- 6 (4), 6-3 against Jason Kubler.

The 19^e seeded Alex De Minaur and the 21^eBotic van de Zandschulp, have had more success and will be in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, two-time Wimbledon titleholder Petra Kvitova lost 7-5, 7-6(4) to fourth-seeded Paola Badosa of Spain.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal, another double champion at the All England Club, has an appointment with Italian Lorenzo Sonego later this afternoon.

Finally, the Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and her Australian partner John Peers will cross swords in the second round of the mixed doubles tournament with the Dutch Demi Schuurs and the Uruguayan Ariel Behar, on court no 15.