Alize Cornet reaches quarterfinals at her 63rd Grand Slam

MELBOURNE, January 24

Alize Cornet dropped to her knees on the hard blue court, clasped her hands and took a few moments to let it sink in.

In her 17th trip to the Australia Open, her 63rd run at a Grand Slam, and two days after celebrating her 32nd birthday, Cornet finally qualified for the quarterfinals at one of the four Major events in tennis.

Cornet recovered after a second-set meltdown in the hot Melbourne sun today to advance to the last-8 at the Australian Open with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over two-time Major champion Simona Halep. “It’s never too late to try again!” said Cornet, who now holds the record for most appearances at Majors before reaching the quarterfinals. “To be in my first quarterfinal. It’s a dream come true.”

The marquee men’s match saw Daniil Medvedev beat 70th-ranked Maxime Cressy 6-2 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 7-5. He will play Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Marin Cilic 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2 7-6(4). — AP