[CR29] Alize Cornet (FRA) vs. [CR70] Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO)
The battle was both physical and mental for these two players. It was an intensely emotional and physically demanding match. Winning would mean so much to each player, for differing reasons. Overcoming the obstacles that were obvious and not so obvious would be the reward for the victor. It would also justify the hard work and the sacrifices made along the way; yet, doing so proved extremely difficult for both. The French player, who always looks so physically fragile dug deep.
Lucic-Baroni had a dominant start. Cornet, feeling the pressure of playing in front of her home crowd got off to a very nervous start. Numerous opportunities were missed by Lucic-Baroni to win this match. The obstacles in her path were not just fatigue and Cornet; Lucic-Baroni had to overcome the mental obstacles that plagued her game. Unfortunately, today she was not successful despite a valiant effort. Cornet also had to overcome some mental hurdles, as she has never made it pass the third round at Roland Garros. Almost to the very end, the match could have gone either way; yet, it was Cornet who had the psychological advantage and she prevailed to defeat Lucic-Baroni 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. How would she perform in the next round?
