Cornet wins all-French battle against Garcia in Charleston

CHARLESTON, SC, USA - No.14 seed Alize Cornet came back from a set down to knock out the Volvo Car Open top seed Caroline Garcia in the third round.

Garcia retired at one set apiece during the pair's most recent meeting at Brisbane in January, but before that had claimed three victories in a row over her countrywoman. In Charleston, Cornet needed to mount a major comeback - even turning around a 0-4 deficit in the first set - but she eventually prevailed after two hours and 16 minutes, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

“I’m happy I’m back in the quarterfinals here after my 2008 run to the semis,” Cornet said after the match. “I have some great memories from this tournament, and I’m having an amazing week. I want the journey to keep going as much as possible.”

Cornet posted positive numbers, with 20 winners and two aces against 17 unforced errors. She kept Garcia under pressure, creating 16 break opportunities and converting on six. For her part, Garcia stayed on the attack with 27 winners, but was undone by her 49 unforced errors - the majority of those coming in the lopsided second set.

“I think I was playing very passive in the beginning of the match,” Cornet explained. “Caroline was serving very well and dictating in a lot of the points. I was pushed behind the baseline. I tried to recover the baseline and be more aggressive. I was hitting the ball stronger and stronger during the match. I’m really proud, I did it until the end.”

After winning back-to-back matches for the first time since January, Cornet is through to the quarterfinals in Charleston where she’ll face No.12 seed Kiki Bertens.

“It’s not easy to play against a friend, so I’ll have to stay focused like I did today against Caroline. [Kiki] has a big first serve, big forehand, and she plays much better on clay than on hardcourts. I think she’s much more comfortable on this surface.”