NEW DELHI: Seventh seed Zheng Qinwen powered past Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the second round of the French Open in Paris on Tuesday, marking a poignant end to Cornet's career at her home Grand Slam.
Cornet, 34, who holds the Open era women's record for consecutive major main draw appearances, had previously announced her retirement after this tournament.
Despite her singles defeat, Cornet will continue to compete in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events before retiring after almost 20 years as a professional.
On a rainy day in Paris, under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, Cornet gave her best effort but could not match the power of Zheng, who quickly took control of the match.
Zheng, arriving at Roland Garros following a strong performance reaching the Rome quarter-finals, is aiming for her first major title. She dominated the match, breaking Cornet early in the second set and swiftly building a 5-1 lead before closing out the match in style.
After the match, Zheng shared a heartfelt hug with Cornet at the net, as the small crowd at the main stadium rose to their feet to applaud the local favorite. Zheng will next face either American Ashlyn Krueger or Germany's Tamara Korpatsch.
(With Reuters inputs)
