Less than three days after her last doubles match at Roland-Garros, Diane Parry was playing in Makarska, Croatia. In the first round, she faced the American Lauren Davis.
Setting aside the disappointment of Roland-Garros. Despite interesting runs in mixed doubles and especially in women’s doubles with her friend Caroline Garcia, the Paris fortnight for the Nice native fell short of expectations. Eliminated in the first round in singles, it’s now time to move on and regain confidence.
To do so, the player from the Provence-Alpes-Cรดte d’Azur region participated in the Makarska Challenger. Seeded No. 5 after making her return to the Top 100 (ranked 93rd in the world), Diane Parry faced the American Lauren Davis. A former Top 30 player, Davis is now ranked 185th at 31 years old. Not a fan of clay, Lauren Davis was thus an approachable opponent for the Nice native.
Right from the start of the match, Diane Parry showcased her game of variation. Very strong on serve, she gave nothing away on her serve and hit powerful returns. She led 5-0 after just a few minutes of play. Slightly destabilized towards the end of the set, she conceded her serve but quickly closed it out (6-2).
A bit less decisive in the early stages of the second set, Diane Parry was taken by surprise and the match was back on. Lauren Davis moved better and made fewer unforced errors. The player from the French Riviera managed to recover despite a drop in first serve intensity. However, she still managed to convert nearly every serve and eventually caught up and took the lead. After two match points, Diane Parry ultimately won quite comfortably (6-2/6-4) in under an hour and a half of play.
A promising sign before facing Serbian Lola Radivojevic in the second round tomorrow.
