Can Simona Halep beat an old foe?
Not much has been seen of former world number one Simona Halep, who has now slipped to 15th in the rankings, in the last two years. So it is all the more surprising that the two-time Grand Slam winner from Romania is currently playing so well again at the Australian Open. She has reached the round of 16 for the fifth time in a row at Melbourne Park.
Now, however, Simona Halep is up against an old fear. She has lost three of the four previous meetings against the Frenchwoman. So it’s all the more surprising that the odds in the run-up to the round of 16 between Simona Halep and Alize Cornet are swinging so clearly in the Romanian’s favour.
It should be noted that Alize Cornet has not won any major titles in her long career and only has a 35% win rate against Top 10 players. With Garbine Muguruza, however, the Frenchwoman has already sent a top favourite home with a remarkably clear 2:0.
Not only does this bet cover any victory by the supposed underdog. Even a result such as 6:4 and 6:3 from the Romanian’s point of view would be enough for the bet to come true.
Simona Halep – statistics & current form
Current ranking in the World Ranking: 15
Position in the seedings: 14
The 30-year-old Romanian Simona Halep has been considered a great talent since her successful junior career. During her professional career, however, she always failed to crown herself.
Not only did she lose the final of the WTA Finals in 2014, but also in her first three Grand Slam finals, the lady who once had her breasts reduced in order to be able to perform better on the court, always lost out.
Fifth successive Australian Open round of 16 final
But as a world number one who had yet to win a major title, she finally broke the mould at the 2018 French Open. This Grand Slam victory was followed by an overall win at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, before the then two-time Grand Slam winner increasingly disappeared into obscurity in the last two years.
Simona Halep is now only ranked 15th in the WTA world rankings. Nevertheless, the Romanian, who has always reached the second week of the tournament at the Australian Open in the last four years, has secretly, quietly become the secret favourite with three commanding 2-0 victories on her way to the last 16. Most recently, she never dropped more than two games per set in the second and third rounds.
Smooth wins and still room for improvement
So the former world number one is now favoured in the last 16.
And yet, although her 2-0 wins so far with a total of just twelve games surrendered over the course of the tournament read like pure dominance, the two-time Grand Slam winner has also always offered plenty in each match. In her 6-2, 6-1 loss to Danka Kovinic in the third round alone, the gifted return player dropped one game on her own serve and committed a total of 17 unforced errors.
Alize Cornet – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 61
Seeded position: unseeded
The 32-year-old Frenchwoman Alize Cornet made her debut on the WTA Tour back in 2005. She reached a career high of eleventh place in the WTA world rankings in 2009. However, the lady from Nice has never won a major title.
In fact, the Frenchwoman has only won six tournaments on the WTA Tour. Without exception, she triumphed at the WTA Internationals – the lowest category for women.
Won 67 of 129 Grand Slam singles
Alize Cornet’s Grand Slam record is also absolutely unremarkable. The Frenchwoman, who has not missed the main draw once since the 2006 US Open, has played in 62 women’s singles Grand Slams. The Frenchwoman has never made it past the round of 16, which she reached this year in Down Under for the first time since the Australian Open in 2009.
In total, her three victories at her 63rd Grand Slam tournament mean she has 67 wins from 129 singles matches played at Grand Slams, although she almost failed to reach the third round.
Only 35% of all duels with Top 10 players won
After her 2-0 surprise win over Garbine Muguruza, Alize Cornet also made a comeback against Tamara Zidansek, who she beat 2-1 after losing the first set and having trouble with the chair umpire.
Nevertheless, Simona Halep’s chances of reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time against Alize Cornet do not look good. The Frenchwoman has a respectable record, having defeated her Romanian opponent in three of four matches. Overall, however, her win rate against top 10 players is only 35%.
Simona Halep – Alize Cornet Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 1:3
The two ladies have faced each other four times so far and the Frenchwoman has prevailed in three of them. However, their last meeting dates back to the WTA Madrid 2015. On that occasion, Alize Cornet managed a straightforward 2:0 win.
Simona Halep – Alize Cornet Tip
When it comes to Simona Halep against Alize Cornet, the prediction basically goes to the former world number one from Romania, who has already reached the final once at the Australian Open in 2018 and has currently reached the last 16 of the Grand Slam tournament Down Under for the fifth time in a row. Although their last duels took place quite a while ago, the head-to-head comparison should not be completely ignored, which the Frenchwoman leads with 3:1 wins.
Also because the Romanian’s serve is vulnerable at times, the Frenchwoman should definitely get one or two breaks and win her own service games. We expect a rather even match and therefore bet with an Asian handicap of +5.5 games on the supposed underdog.
