By Sudipto Ganguly
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – At the start of the year, Alize Cornet said she was considering retirement at the end of the 2022 season but after reaching her first major quarter-final at the Australian Open on Monday, the 32-year-old said the sky was now the limit.
Making her 63rd main-draw appearance at a Grand Slam, Cornet finally got beyond the fourth round when she survived stifling heat to outlast former world number one Simona Halep 6-4 3-6 6-4 and set up a meeting with American Danielle Collins.
“I’m not going to stop now,” the Frenchwoman told reporters. “I’m still ambitious.
“I just have to soak it in, like, take time to appreciate the moment and be proud of what I did today. But definitely from tomorrow I will have to think about my next match and how I can go farther in the tournament.
“The sky’s the limit. I mean, I really want to be ambitious on this slam. For the first time in my life, I really believe I can go till the end. I think that’s what makes a difference.”
Cornet said she could not stop crying after winning the final point against Romanian Halep.
“It does feel really good. I was very emotional, and I didn’t know it would feel so good,” she said. “I think it will feel really good for the next couple of days till I have to get ready for my next match.
“But I really want to enjoy this moment because I’ve been waiting for it for a long, long time.
“I’m not sure I believed I could do it anymore, and that’s why it came to me. I think that when you expect things the less that it happens, actually.”
Collins also had to dig deep in fierce heat to get past Elise Mertens 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Cornet said she was looking forward to playing the 28-year-old Collins, ranked 30th.
“She’s like a lion,” Cornet said.
“Oh my God, she impresses me a little bit because she’s like so intense, I’m intense too but I think she’s next-level intense. She’s hitting so hard.
“This is going to be a good match. I’m really happy to play against this kind of player.”
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Clare Fallon)
