Australian Open 2022: Simona Halep vs Alize Cornet preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: [14] Simona Halep vs Alize Cornet

Date: 24 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Melbourne Park

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv

Simona Halep vs Alize Cornet preview

Halep has been dominant in the Australian Open so far

Former World No. 1 Simona Halep will take on Alize Cornet in the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open on Monday.

The Romanian had a disappointing 2021 season due to injuries, and fell out of the top 10 for the first time in many years. But she began 2022 in perfect fashion by winning the Melbourne Summer Set.

Seeded 14 at the Australian Open, Halep beat Poland's Magdalena Frech in the first round. The 30-year-old then dropped only five games in the next two matches as she defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia and Danka Kovinic to reach the fourth round.

Alize Cornet, meanwhile, lost her opening match of the season to Naomi Osaka in three sets in Melbourne. She was then beaten in the opening round of the Adelaide International by Nuria Parrizas-Dias.

But she has turned her fortunes around at the Australian Open, advancing to the fourth round for the first time since 2009.

The Frenchwoman won her opening match against Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets. She followed this up by scripting arguably the upset of the tournament by beating third seed Garbine Muguruza.

Cornet then came from a set down to beat 29th seed Tamara Zidansek on her 32nd birthday and qualify for the fourth round.

Simona Halep vs Alize Cornet head-to-head

Monday's match will be the fifth meeting between Halep and Cornet. The Frenchwoman surprisingly leads the head to head 3-1. Cornet won their first meeting in 2011 before Halep beat her in Sofia in 2013.

The 32-year-old then defeated the Romanian in their next two encounters, at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Madrid Open.

Simona Halep vs Alize Cornet prediction

Halep has been in incredible form so far, dropping just 12 games across three matches. The Romanian appears to have found her best tennis once again and is an outside bet to go all the way in Melbourne.

However, Cornet will fancy her chances of pulling off another upset, especially considering how she has fared against the Romanian in the past.

Both players are primarily counter-punchers who are quick around the court but struggle to generate their own pace. Cornet is one of the fittest players on tour and will try and make this a physical contest. Halep will likely be the aggressor and try to force the pace.

If the Romanian can stay solid while playing aggressive tennis from the back of the court, she should be able to notch up her second victory over Cornet.