Alize Cornet's matches are Broadway worthy. Explosive and evocative. A race, a twist. The fall before the flight. The tears and finally the triumph. The Frenchwoman, in her 17th Australian Open, looking to make her first major quarterfinal, led former No. 1 Simona Halep by a set and 3-1, she was a point from stretching that margin to 4-1.
Playing under a scorching sun, with courtside temperatures up to 35 degrees, both players were running on empty midway through the second set. Cornet dragged herself from corner to corner, struggling to get down to the ball, while Halep, keeling over at the other end, still managed to reel-off five straight games and level set scores.
