Mauresmo struggles but finally manages to lick Cornet at Eastbourne

The former world number one, now ranked 30th, capitalised on a stream of errors produced by Cornet to win the first set but then lost her focus in the second.

Vanilla thriller: Mauresmo took three sets to beat Cornet

  

Sixth seed Cornet squandered two break points early in the decider and paid the price when Mauresmo pounced late in the set to wrap up the match.   

"The way I played in the first set was great," Mauresmo told reporters. "But I didn't keep that level up and that put her back into the match and things got a little bit more even."

She added: "I am as motivated as ever, especially coming back here to play on grass which I've learned to enjoy.  

"When you miss matches through injuries it is hard to get back but I'm still determined to reach the position I used to have and I know I can dominate games on this surface."

Katie O'Brien's hopes of going to Wimbledon next week with a top 100 ranking collided with Australian comeback girl Samantha Stosur's return to form and fitness after nearly nine months out as she suffered a 6-4 6-3 defeat.  

Yorkshire's O'Brien, 22, had risen to 104 ahead of her wildcard entry to the event which provides players with vital grass-court preparation for the All England Championships.  

But after a year of big improvement on her global travels Britain's number two had no answer to the powerful, if sometimes erratic, Stosur serve and the all-court mobility of an opponent who once feared her own career might be over after contracting the potentially deadly Lyme Disease and viral meningitis last year.

Stosur, 24, explained: "It started at Wimbledon last year. I began to feel extremely ill, no energy, joint pains, terrible headaches.  

"I spent a few days in hospital but the scary thing was that nobody knew what it was for such a long time. Finally I got it diagnosed in September and started getting it treated but it wasn't until February that I was better." 

Florida-based Stosur, once the world's number 27 and a top doubles player in partnership with American Lisa Raymond, is now ranked below O'Brien at 162 but used a special dispensation clause in WTA regulations for entry to Eastbourne after returning to the women's tour only last month in Rome.  

She said: "Now I feel pretty good and I'm looking forward to going back to Wimbledon next week where they have been kind enough to give me a wildcard. I can feel my game coming together again but, really, it is just a pleasure to be playing again."  

O'Brien admitted: "I played OK, missed a couple of chances to turn the match around after losing my serve early in both sets but Sam's a top player. I don't think anybody would relish playing her.  

"I'm still looking to get into the top 100 and I could have done with gaining a few points this week but that wasn't really on my mind in the match. 

"I just wanted to get in as many more matches as possible on grass before Wimbledon but now I'll have to look for some other way to prepare for the rest of this week."  

Stosur goes on to meet Mauresmo in the second round.