Cornet Pulls Off Biggest Win

Before this week, I really doubted Cornet's ability to pull off a stunner. Especially against someone so fierce and mentally strong as Serena Williams. She was always a talented player, a challenging opponent, but she never had that extra spark to take her to the top of the game. While I don't think this has or will soon change, the Frenchwoman is showing some great progress.

This year already she teamed up with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win France's first Hopman Cup, lost a tough three-setter against Sharapova in the third round at the Australian Open, and succumbed 7-6 in the decider to Sara Errani in the semifinals on home soil in Paris. In Dubai she took it one step further, reaching her second Premier final after a sensational 6-4,6-4 victory over the world No.1 American. 

She was actually superb the entire week, dismissing high class opponents like red-hot Simona Halep, Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro, and ultimately the one and only Serena without dropping a set. 

Talking about her victory over the American, the thrilled Cornet said: "It was tough to close it out because I had four match points the game before, and on the four match points she played unbelievable, so I was like, 'Okay, maybe she's going to put a little bit more on the important points now.' But I just tried to relax and breathe and pass my first serve at 5-4. I stayed focused and when the last ball went out I was like, 'That's it? I did it?' Then I was full of emotion. It's definitely the biggest win of my career."

The emotions were probably so intense that they were impossible to control. In the championships match, Alize started strong, but faded quickly against the rejuvenated Venus Williams. Venus made amends for the Williamses, destroying Cornet 6-3,6-0 to seal her first title since late 2012. 

Despite the tough loss, this has been a magnificent week with tons of positives for the Frenchwoman. Not only did she beat five higher ranked players in a row, but she also got her first top 4 triumph, stunning none other than the world No.1. She may have got inspired by Marion Bartoli's stellar achievement at Wimbledon last season, but this could very well be Alize's breakthrough year. Looking forward to seeing more from this talented French player :)!

Alize got the biggest win of her career in Dubai when she stunned world No.1, Serena Williams, in the semifinals. Venus got revenge for the Williamses, beating the Frenchwoman 6-3,6-0 to claim the title.

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Golden Simona Wins in Doha

I am amazed every time I see Simona reach another career milestone. It feels so incredible to witness the  transformation of this player who went from being ranked in the mid 50s to one of the elite top 10 players of the WTA tour basically overnight. 

After a solid run at the Australian Open and a few hiccups in Sydney and Paris, the Romanian caught fire once again in Doha. At the Premier event in Qatar, Simona was on the brink of defeat in the first round when she came back from 3-5 down in the decider to defeat Estonian Kaia Kanepi. Having survived the major scare, Halep unleashed her beautiful, inteligent game. After a quick dismissal of German younger Annika Beck, the Romanian showed her class stunning a trio of ten top players to win the biggest title of her career. First it was the fiesty Italian, Sara Errani. Then the ever-dangerous Pole, Aga Radwanska, and ultimately, Germany's best, Angelique Kerber. All these victories came in straight sets emphasizing once more Simona's great progress. 

"The first round was very difficult for me because I came from indoors at Fed Cup and it was pretty tough to adapt quickly—I had just one day to practice here," she said. "Kanepi had 5-3 in the third set against me and I called my coach on court, and I just told him, 'It's over, I lost the match.' But he said I can win that one. And I did. And then I got more confident with my serve. I started to believe I had a chance at this tournament. I was fighting for every point and found my game again." Halep is now 7-0 in finals since last June, plus she is on a six-match winning streak against fellow top ten opponents.

I am not sure how high can she go, but Simona is proving to be the real deal. I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that she is able to follow up on a breakthrough 2013 in such stellar fashion. She has the game and she is showing tremendous mental strength, so you'd say sky is the limit for the talented Romanian. You never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if she makes a Grand Slam final this year. The victory in Doha proved she is capable of such a performance. Let's go, Simona!

Simona Halep continued her amazing run by storming to victory at the Premier event in Doha. In the final, the talented Romanian got the better of Germany's best. Angelique Kerber, winning the biggest title of her career after a 6-2,6-3 victory.

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Gael Crosses the Finish Line

After a succession of lost finals, the ever-talented Gael Monfils has finally turned the tables in Montpellier, winning the fifth title of his career—his first since Stockholm in 2011. 

The Frenchman has been in good form this year, reaching the final act in Doha, as well as the third round at the Australian Open, losing to world No.1, Rafael Nadal, on both occasions. Playing on home soil, Gael got inspired. Booming serves when it mattered most, Monfils battled his way through to the final, defeating dangerous opponents, Polish Lukasz Kubot, Portuguese Joao Sousa, Uzbek Denis Istomin, respectively Finnish Jarkko Nieminen. In the final, Gael faced compatriot and good friend, Richard Gasquet. Considering his 4-16 record in finals, Richard started as favourite. However, as he did in Doha earlier this season, Monfils had other ideas. He relied once again on his powerful serve to close out a straight sets 6-4,6-4 victory over Gasquet, the defending champion. 

"This is unbelievable for me," said Monfils. "I had some back problems at the beginning of the week and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play, so to now be with the trophy is pretty crazy. I have been elevating my game match after match and I am extremely proud in the way I played today. I really enjoy playing here in Montpellier. I love the atmosphere there is in this arena."

The win—his second at this tournament after the 2010 crown—marks a good turn in fortunes for the Frenchman who had to battle a career-threatening injury in 2012. Gael is extremely talented, he plays spectacular tennis, he has the weapons, he just needs to undergo that major mental transformation that will see him unleash his huge potential. Take Wawrinka for example. After he started working with Magnus Norman, the Swiss became 'Stan the Man' by beating Nadal to win the Australian Open. If Wawrinka did it, Monfils could do it too. I have confidence that his time to shine will come in the near future. He needs to remain healthy and to work on his mental fragility. #showtrueself Gael!

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