Cornet fresh for surprise final gig
ALIZE Cornet, the unseeded finalist who cannot quite believe her luck, claims a physical advantage going into tonight’s Brisbane International title showdown.
Cornet’s opponent, French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, quit their semi-final with a thigh strain and fatigue when trailing 1-4 at Pat Rafter Arena.
Ranked No.41, Cornet only had to play for 28 minutes and was back in the locker room five hours before the competitors in the second semi-final, Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina, could even hope to have started the night’s last match. The exuberant Cornet said she had in recent years adopted a philosophy of “viva la vie’’, which roughly translates to “enjoy life’’.
The Frenchwoman won the smaller Hobart International, her fifth WTA title, last summer, but after Muguruza trudged off court she laughed in a public address interview: “I’m in the final, wow’’. “This retirement is perfect for me, because it can keep me fresh for tomorrow,’’ said Cornet.
“I will have some more treatment with the physio. My potential opponent will maybe finish late so I think I’m in a good position right now.’’
It is the second consecutive year that world No.7 Muguruza has retired on court at the Brisbane International, after a foot injury halted her last year.
“It will not stop me (from playing the Australian Open),’’ she said. “I felt a little exhausted from my two long matches and I was far from 100 per cent. I tried but Cornet was playing so well.”