Mutua Madrid Open, Spain  

[CR2] Simona Halep (ROU) vs. [CR28] Alize Cornet (FRA)

They may seem extremely different on the surface; yet, these two players are very similar when it comes to the intensity of the emotions invested in each match.  When she is fully engaged, Cornet gets more passionate with each point; at times appearing physically drained after a rally. Halep on the other hand does not overtly express her emotions; instead she silently channels her energy into fighting for each point when she is focused on the match. Was Halep fully committed to the match today?  Difficult to assess; however, it was interesting to watch the emotional dynamics on display. Cornet stayed so emotionally charged while Halep appeared to wilt under the pressure of the occasion.

Does Cornet perform better as an emotionally expressive player? If you are successful more often than not, it is very hard to make the change necessary when things go awry and Cornet has had success against the best, so why change? Serena Williams can attest to that as Cornet leads their head-to-head and has beaten Williams the last three times they met. She can be a very troublesome opponent and Halep knew that going into the match because Cornet also leads their head-to-head. Her passionate approach has contributed to her demise when she was overwhelmed by her emotions and lost her focus; however, today it worked in her favor as she battled through the first set and defeated Halep once again 7-6(6), 6-3.