Defeats by the Italians during their three weekend games, the French will not go in the final phase of the competition that succeeded the Fed Cup.
Le Monde with AFP
The times are hard for tricolor female tennis. Since the beginning of the 2022 season, no French players have participated in a final of a WOMEN’s Tennis Association tournament and the best ranked figure beyond the first thirty areas of the world ranking. In this very dull context, how to be surprised at the elimination of the France team from the dams of the Billie Jean King Cup?
In Alghero, in Sardinia, there was no need to go beyond the third simple match to close the suspense. The blue people lost 3-0 against Italy by having won only a small set during the three dating on the hard surface.
Cascading packages
Originally called by Captain Julien Benneteau, Caroline Garcia (69 e ), who was suffering from one foot, and the young Clara Burel (76 e , 21 years), a victim of an abdominal muscular lesion, had renounced, for the benefit of Océane Dodin (94 e ) and Harmony Tan (107 e ).
The French hopes were therefore on Alizé Cornet, the group veteran (32 years old), but especially the best ranked (34 e ). “Alizé has had the best tricolor results since the beginning of the season, including its quarter-final at the Australian Open” in January, the very first of his career, and “has always answered in France” team ” , Julien Benneteau reminded the announcement of his selection, in mid-March.
Friday, April 15, before Océane Dodin’s expeditious defeat against Camila Giorgi (30 e ) (6-1, 6-2) in the second game of this dam, number 1 French was opposed to Jasmine Paolini (48 e ), an opponent within reach on paper. Despite two game balls in his favor, Alizé Cornet ended up cracking in the decisive game of the ultimate sleeve (2-6, 6-1, 7-6 [2]).
“There was the place in this game, regretted the Niçoise at the end of the meeting. She was tired, but I think I was in better condition she was limited by my nervousness . This is not the first time, but it does not have less disappointing. “
Led 2-0, the France team no longer has the right to error this Saturday. Primer the tricolor lift, it was the mission for a novice in the competition: Harmony Tan, preferred to Alizé Cornet, which was embarrassed to the adductors according to the team.
A “bubble” to conclude
After winning the first two games, the player ranked beyond the world’s 100 ever has ever been able to compete with Camila Giorgi. In front of his audience, the Italian even allowed to conclude on a “bubble”, a set won without conceding the least game (6-2, 6-0), all after an hour and thirteen minutes of play.
It must be believed that the sky of Sardinia goes well with azure blue. This is the twelfth time in twelve team confrontations – men and women combined – that an Italian selection qualifies on the neighboring island of Corsica.
Italy is the seventh nation to pocket its sesame for the final phase of the former Fed Cup, now organized over a week, this year from 8 to 13 November in a city still unknown. She joins Switzerland, outgoing finalist, Australia, qualified after the exclusion of Russia, as well as Belgium, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Poland.
In the final phase of the Billie Jean King Cup, the twelve qualified teams will be divided into four groups of three, whose winners will qualify for the semifinals.
France, like the other losers of the weekend, will play a dam on November 11 and 12 to stay in the elite. The Blue Victory in Fed Cup in 2019 now seems far away.