In a match-up of two former Internationaux de Strasbourg runner-ups, third seed Alize Cornet beat Lucie Hradecka 7-6(4) 6-0 and clinched her third career WTA title (all on clay), after Budapest (2008) and Bad Gastein (2012). I ran across a peculiar piece of info on Twitter, the rankings of opponents Cornet beat in title runs: 37, 41, 61, 93, 94, 106, 107, 112, 135, 157, 180, 211, 212, 241.
The world No.31 Cornet, who will climb to No.27 in the rankings, had two set points in the tenth game of the first set, Hradecka saved them both, broke for a 6-5 lead and served for the set, but got broken and then lost the tiebreak to soon also lose her sixth final and remain without WTA titles.
Before Hradecka, Cornet, who did not reach a WTA final from 2009 to 2011, defeated Mathilde Johansson in the first round of Strasbourg, Magda Linette in the second, seventh seed Chanelle Scheepers in the quarterfinals and Eugenie Bouchard in the semis. The top seed at the tournament, France’s Marion Bartoli, was upset in the first round by Camila Giorgi. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)
