Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Monday February 26, 2024 at 10:45 p.m.
Diane Parry qualified for the round of 16 of the Austin tournament by defeating another Frenchwoman, Jessika Ponchet.
Returning to the WTA calendar last season after 41 years of absence, the WTA 250 tournament in Austin, Texas, began this Monday, as preparation for the two big American tournaments in March, in Indian Wells and Miami . Anhelina Kalinina and Sloane Stephens are the top two seeds in the tournament, where three French women appear in the draw: Jessika Ponchet, Diane Parry and Alizé Cornet. Bad luck, the first two faced each other in the first round, and the logic was respected with the victory of Parry, 62nd in the world and seeded n°5, against Ponchet, from qualifying: 6-3, 7-6 1h30. The Parisian, who reached the third round at the Australian Open, had not really confirmed it since, being eliminated in the round of 16 in Abu Dhabi then in qualifying in Doha, very tough tournaments.
Parry excellent at service
This Monday, Parry was able to rely on an excellent service: 11 aces, 58% of first serves and two break points saved out of two. These two break points in favor of Ponchet arrived in the first game of the match. Parry saved them then broke at 3-2 to pocket the first set, which only lasted 32 minutes as the games flew by. In the second, both players held their serve perfectly, rarely losing more than two points on their put in play, and everything came down to a tie-break. An exercise better mastered by Parry, who chained three points from 2-2 and won on her first match point, at 6-4. In the next round, the Frenchwoman, guaranteed to gain three places in the rankings, will be opposed to a player lower ranked than her, the Russian Rakhimova or the Belgian Wickmayer. Also note this Monday the qualification of the No. 8 seed, the Chinese Yue Yuan, to the detriment of Arina Rodionova (3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in 2h26 in a ten-break match), and the elimination of the No. 4 seed, the Italian Lucia Bronzetti, against another Chinese, Yafan Wang (7-6, 6-4 in 1h55).
2024-02-26 21:45:00
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