Hong Kong Tennis Open results: tearful Jelena Ostapenko crashes out but Alize Cornet feeds off French support
Former Roland Garros champion Ostapenko beaten by player ranked 299 places below her, as Alize Cornet breezes past Julia Glushko with a little help from the city’s French expats
Alize Cornet said she feels right at home at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, given the city’s sizeable French expat population – and she played like it on Monday as the 2018 tournament kicked off.
The 28-year-old eased into the second round at Victoria Park with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Julia Glushko of Israel in just 55 minutes. There was a big shock later on Centre Court, with third seed Jelena Ostapenko losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova – who is ranked 317 in the world.
“Whenever I play in Hong Kong I feel kind of at home because there’s a lot of French people here,” Cornet said.
“I know there is a big French community and I can feel it when I’m on court. I wish for the support from them, but also from the people from Hong Kong.
“I guess the home players have a little bit of advantage, but I also feel good and at home on the court here, so I guess I also have an advantage.”
Told that the local French following went wild in the streets of Central after Les Bleus’ World Cup triumph in Russia, Cornet laughed and clapped her hands.