Top seed Alizé Cornet beat Mandy Minella 6-4 7-6 (8-6) to lift her sixth career singles title at the Ladies Championships in Gstaad. Cornet had won her previous head-to-head match against Minella in Nassau in 2012. The French player has claimed her first title since winning in Hobart in 2016.
Minella got an early break to take a 2-1 lead. Cornet broke straight back on her sixth chance in a marathon fourth game to draw level to 2-2. The French player got another break in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Minella pulled the break back in the next game and held serve at love to draw level to 4-4. Cornet held serve easily in the ninth game and earned a set point, when Minella fired a forehand wide. Cornet sealed the set with a drop-shot winner.
Minella got an early break at the start of the second set, when Cornet hit a drop shot into the net on the break point. Minella opened up a 2-0 lead with a forehand winner, but she was broken at 2-2 when she netted a backhand.
Minella broke serve to take a 4-3 lead and faced two break points to open up a 5-3 lead. Cornet earned two break points with a forehand winner, when Minella served for the set, and drew level to 5-5 with a backhand error by Minella. Cornet saved a break point holding serve to take a 6-5 lead.
Minella saved two match points at 6-5 in the second set and earned two set points in the tie-break of the second set. Cornet made a double fault to trail 3-5. Minella earned a double set point a 6-4, when Cornet sent a backhand return into the net. Cornet bounced back by winning the final four points from 4-6 to seal the tie-break.
Cornet saved the first chance with a return winner and thesecond chance with a backhand to draw level to 6-6. Cornet won the final two points, when Minella made two forehand errors.
“I had an amazing week. It’s like everything was meant to be. Everything was perfect this week and I was feeling great on the court. Everything was going well. I was seed number 1 and I did the job, so it’s great satisfaction”, said Cornet.
