Melbourne – Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has been eliminated from the Australian Open. In temperatures of more than 30 degrees, the Romanian 2018 finalist lost 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 to unseeded Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet in Melbourne.
Halep thus became the next prominent tennis player to bow out of the tableau of the season’s first Grand Slam tournament. Cornet had already defeated world number three Garbiñe Muguruza from Spain in the second round.
Halep could see the strain of the heat. Again and again, the 30-year-old Romanian leaned on her racket between rallies or did not even walk properly to some balls. During the breaks on the bench, both players tried to cool down with ice packs or towels.
Cornet will now face 27th seed Danielle Collins in her first Grand Slam quarter-final. Collins beat Belgian Elise Mertens 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to become the third US player after Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys to reach the top eight at the Australian Open. The three German participants Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Tatjana Maria were eliminated in the first round.
