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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek faced a shocking defeat against French tennis player Alize Cornet. The reigning French Open champion was defeated in straight sets in the third round of Wimbledon 2022 ending Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak. Cornet, ranked 37, took advantage of an error-strewn performance from her Polish opponent to win 6-4, 6-2 on Court 1 in their third-round tie.
Swiatek made a total of 33 unforced errors in an uncharacteristically sloppy display, compared with just seven by Cornet. The Frenchwoman was thrilled after defeating World No.1 and said it felt surreal to her. Cornet said this win reminded her of the match between her and Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2014.
"I have no words right now," she said. "It reminds me of the time I beat Serena on the same court eight years ago exactly. This court is a lucky charm for me." "I'm like good wine," said Cornet, who is contesting her 62nd consecutive Slam, matching Ai Sugiyama's record. "In France good wine always ages well, that's what's happened to me. It's unreal -- I'm playing one of the best seasons of my career,” she added.
Cornet keeps Swiatek at bay right from start
Top seed Swiatek was on the back foot right from the start of the match, broken in her first two service games, and could not get back on level terms. The 21-year-old Cornet broke at her first opportunity in the second set but the Frenchwoman broke back immediately, winning the last six games of the 93-minute match.
Swiatek had not lost a match since her defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in February in Dubai, winning her past six tournaments, including the French Open. Though she had looked unbeatable on hard courts and clay, she had admitted she was on a learning curve on grass.
She was made to battle hard in the second round to defeat lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove in three sets. With her loss to Cornet, Swiatek still has yet to beat a top-50 player on grass. Cornet will face Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic for a place in the quarter-finals.