Unseeded French veteran Alize Cornet upset Simona Halep at the Australian Open in brutal heat Monday to make her first Grand Slam quarter-final on her 63rd attempt. Both players struggled as the temperatures hit 33 Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) on Rod Laver Arena, but it was the 32-year-old who prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a gruelling 2hr 33min. She will now play 27th-seeded Danielle Collins for a place in the semis after the American outlasted Elise Mertens 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a near three-hour epic. The breakthrough has been a long time coming for Cornet, who made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open in 2005 but had never been past the fourth round before. With the ice-towels out to keep them cool, they pounded away from the baseline and it was Cornet who came out on top to break two-time Grand Slam winner Halep and move 5-3 clear.

Source: The Guardian January 24, 2022 08:16 UTC