Australian Open: Diane Parry is eliminated in the first round of qualifying

Diane Parry will not see the main draw of the Australian Open. Facing the Russian Ekaterina Pridankina in the first round of the qualifiers, the Niçoise was defeated in two sets (3-6, 2-6) after 1 hour and 30 minutes of play.

The verdict fell as soon as she entered the fray for the Australian Open qualifiers. Diane Parry, the best French hope for qualification, was outmatched by a young Russian player, Elena Pridankina (world number 189, 20 years old). A match that should have been a good warm-up for the French player who saw several of her compatriots also fall in the first round today. Especially since the Niçoise’s draw seemed clearer, with only players ranked beyond the 130th place worldwide to face, she who has now dropped to the 122nd place. 

As often, the serve was the problem. While Diane Parry had good first serves nearly two-thirds of the time, the effectiveness did not follow. However, whenever the first serve did not go in, on the second serve, the Niçoise was overwhelmingly dominated, almost systematically conceding the point from the outset. It is difficult to compete under these conditions. Especially since in return, the Azuréenne never found the key, particularly in the second set. To try to compensate, the Maralpine came to the net to vary her game but could not change the momentum. Less agile than her opponent, Diane Parry lacked sharpness in crucial moments, somewhat like in Canberra last week.

Having won only three service games and with a total of 15 unforced errors, Diane Parry never seemed in a position to reverse the trend. Elena Pridankina, more solid and opportunistic, logically won (6-3/6-2) in 1 hour and 30 minutes and continues her journey in the qualifiers. 

Diane Parry’s journey ends here in Australia. The only positive point to highlight is that the Niçoise should not lose many points since she was eliminated in the first round last year. Nevertheless, the path to the major tournaments of 250, 500, 1,000, and Grand Slam will be much more convoluted now. Unless invited, she will have to go through qualifications and earn some points in the Challengers. It is tough to predict what Diane Parry’s schedule will be in the coming days.

However, for Fiona Ferro, the journey to continue in the qualifiers in Australia proceeds tonight. For her second round, she will face the Czech Linda Fruhvirtova.