Alize Cornet defended her rally with Viktoriya Tomova and hit back at fans who criticized the frequent usage of moonballs during the exchange. Cornet took on Tomova in her tournament opener at the WTA 250 Internationaux de Strasbourg, where she won the first set, only for Tomova to bounce back in the second.
Serving Woes and Loss
During the match, Cornet struggled with her serve, hitting 13 double faults and giving away 17 break point opportunities. These serving difficulties put her at a significant disadvantage, allowing Tomova to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory. When Tomova served for the match at 5-3, Cornet and Tomova engaged in a 38-shot rally, where a considerable number of moonballs were exchanged before Cornet secured the point.
Twitter Reactions and Criticism
Tennis fans took to social media to poke fun at the moonball rally, with one fan commenting that Cornet and Tomova deserved to be fined for the point. In response, Cornet sarcastically apologized for offending the fan’s tennis sensibilities, stating that the rally was a result of the fatigue accumulated over a three-hour-long match.
Italian Open Criticisms
Alize Cornet had previously criticized the organizers of the recently concluded Italian Open for their scheduling of the women’s final between Elena Rybakina and Anhelina Kalinina. Due to the rain-interrupted men’s semifinal match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, which began at 4:25 pm local time, the women’s match was eventually delayed to 11:00 pm local time. Cornet questioned why the women’s final couldn’t be held alongside the men’s final the following day.
