Alize Cornet had almost given up hope of ever playing in the quarter finals of a tennis Grand Slam tournament.
After 62 attempts and never making it past the fourth round of a major, you couldn’t blame her for being a little sceptical.
But at 32 years old, and in what may well be her last season on tour, the Frenchwoman has finally achieved the feat.
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Her three-set victory over Romania champion Simona Halep on a scorching hot Rod Laver Arena today sends Cornet to a quarter-final bout with Danielle Collins.
Aside from the minimum $538,500 purse she’ll go home with, this is a milestone that’s been 17 years in the making for Cornet.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting… sorry for being emotional,” Cornet said through tears while being interviewed on-court by Jelena Dokic.
“To go to my first quarter final, it’s just a dream come true. I don’t know what to say, it’s just magic.
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“It’s never too late to try again.”
Whether she did or she didn’t achieve it this year, Cornet has been contemplating retiring from tennis at the end of this season.
She made her grand slam debut in 2005. Since appearing as a qualifier at the 2007 Australian Open, Cornet has not missed a major tournament.
This is her 60th consecutive grand slam appearance.
If she can continue the streak to this year’s US Open, Cornet will surpass Ai Sugiyama’s record of 62 straight appearances.
“I’m a bit of a dinosaur on the tour,” the Frenchwoman said before her third-round victory last week.
After winning her fourth-round match, Cornet was asked whether she would consider continuing her career into 2023.
“Well, definitely I’m not going to lie. The results will help,” she said.
“I’m having so much fun right now by making the second week of a slam than when I lost first round last week in Adelaide. We’re not going to lie, results really help.”
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