By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 28, 2016
Venus Williams maintained her unbeaten record vs. Alize Cornet, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-0, to set up a Roland Garros fourth-round clash with Timea Bacsinszky.
Photo credit: Nicolas Gouhier/FFT
Dragged forward by a drop shot late in the third set, Venus Williams turned the terre battue into a trampoline.
Swarming net, Williams soared jamming a high backhand volley with authority squeezing away any open court for Alize Cornet .
Contesting her 19th Roland Garros, the oldest woman still standing showed plenty of life in her legs down the stretch.
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Weeks shy of her 36th birthday, Williams defeated Cornet, 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-0, charging into the French Open fourth round for the first time in six years. Williams will play for her first Roland Garros quarterfinal appearance in a decade when she takes on 2015 semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky next.
Venus walked onto Suzanne Lenglen Court, while sister Serena was up a set against another Frenchwoman, Kristina Mladenovic, on Philippe Chatrier Court.
Before the dust had settled on the day, the Williams sisters were two victories away from a semifinal rematch of their 2002 French Open final, while French singles hopes were obliterated.
The sisters erased the final two French women from the singles field, while two-time men's semifinalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire with injury while holding a 5-2 lead over Ernests Gulbis.
The 50th-ranked Cornet broke for 4-3 unleashing a chant from French fans.
Williams quickly calmed the challenge, breaking back then working through a demanding deuce game holding for 5-4.
In the tiebreak, Williams won four of the first six points. Cornet staved off a pair of set points closing to 5-6.
On her third set point, Williams whipped the slider serve down the T to close it. Williams won 12 of 16 points played on her second serve.
Cornet drew on the crowd, and multiple visits from the trainer, grinding out a three-set win over 111th-ranked German Tatjana Maria in a controversial second-round win marked by charges the Frenchwoman used cramping as a tactical weapon in her three-set victory.
The crowd was largely subdued early in the second set until Cornet began to rally.
Stepping into the court and striking with more aggression, Cornet knocked off a backhand volley for break point in the fourth game. She broke on a Williams error then consolidated at love for 4-1.
The two-handed backhand is typically Williams' most reliable groundstroke. Defending more frequently, Williams started hitting more one-handed slice backhands. She nudged a slice approach into net as Cornet broke again.
Winless in 11 career sets with Williams, the Frenchwoman punched through the second set with command.
Williams was in no mood for drama.
Banging her backhand with more authority, Williams drained consecutive errors to break for 2-0 in the decider. She dug out a lunging volley to set up a forehand volley holding for 3-0.
Racing forward to retrieve a drop shot, Williams showed spring in her legs soaring for a snazzy high backhand volley. She pounded a return off the baseline then plastered a forehand that left Cornet frozen, breaking again for 4-0.
Roping a forehand winner down the line, Williams earned match point. She closed in style angling a slice backhand pass to end it.