Former teenage prodigy Cornet rediscovering her winning ways

French player reaches the quarter-finals in Dubai with a 6-3, 6-4 win over the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens while Petra Kvitova, the defending champion, was sent crashing to a shock defeat, writes Ahmed Rizvi.

French player Alize Cornet gestures to the crowd after beating Belgian player Kirsten Flipkens in a Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships match at Dubai Tennis Stadium on Wednesday. Sarah Dea / The NatShow more

DUBAI // A teenage sensation before a dramatic slide, France’s Alize Cornet believes she is ready to reclaim the highs she enjoyed as a fresh-faced newcomer to the circuit.

The 2005 Roland Garros girls’ champion, Cornet was 18 when she climbed to No 11 in the WTA rankings, in February 2009, but then slipped to No 44 by the end of that year. Twelve months later, she was No 80 and slid further to No 115 in 2012, before she turned it around.

Two tour titles – Bad Gastein in 2012 and Strasbourg in 2013 – and consistent results over the past 20 months have helped her reach No 26 and Cornet, still only 24, saids she is ready for a lengthy stay among the world’s top tennis players.

“I was playing great when I was 18 or 19 years old,” she said after reaching the quarter-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with a 6-3, 6-4 win over the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens. “But I was a newcomer. Nobody knew me and it was a little bit surprise effect.

“Now I’m, like, more mature, and I have more experience, so my tennis is different. I think it’s even better than before. I’m still young … Before, I was a baby.”

Cornet claims she had lost that “flame” in her teenage years, but has rediscovered it now and considers it the key to remaining among the top players.

“I knew I could do it because I had the tennis in my racket, but I just couldn’t find it anymore,” she said of her struggles. “I didn’t have the flame anymore and now I have found it back. So I don’t want to let it go out anymore.

“I have a lot of years ahead and, hopefully, I will stay at this level. I believe I have found the key to stay at this level, and I hope I will enjoy it a lot.”

Kvitova dismissed by Suarez Navarro

Petra Kvitova, the defending champion at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, was sent crashing to a shock defeat at the Aviation Club on Thursday night, defeated 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 by Carla Suarez Navarro.

Kvitova raced through the first set in 32 minutes and then built a 4-2 lead in the second. Suarez Navarro fought back, taking the next four games to level the tie before holding her nerve to secure triumph via a tie-break.

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