WTA 1,000 Toronto: Diane Parry eliminated once again in the first round

We left Diane Parry on a bitter defeat in the first round of the WTA 250 in Prague, and we caught up with her this Monday to begin an intense month of August that starts in Toronto. For the 7th WTA 1000 of the season, the French player benefited from a very accessible first round to begin the competition, at least on paper…

Diane Parry, now the only French representative in the world’s top 100, is playing for high stakes this month of August if she wants to live up to her status. As a reminder, two WTA 1000s will take place over the next three weeks: Toronto and Cincinnati.

In Canada, the Nice native drew a first round that was largely winnable against American Kayla Day, ranked 127th in the world. An easy match in theory, but Diane Parry struggled to really get into her match and unfortunately continues an increasingly difficult season.

The first set offered little suspense. Solid in rallies, Diane Parry quickly took control of the match against Kayla Day. While her serve didn’t particularly shine, the French player proved rather effective on return, winning 50% of the points on her opponent’s serves. She takes the first set 6/3.

The second set played out very differently. Diane Parry started well by breaking her opponent’s serve in the first game, before immediately conceding the break back. While the two players remained evenly matched, the French player lost her serve at the worst possible moment, at 4/3 in favor of Kayla Day. The American then held steady when serving to level the match at one set each, winning 6/3 as well.

The third set seemed destined for Diane Parry. Very aggressive, she quickly pulled ahead 3/0, before maintaining that advantage until 5/3. When serving for the match, however, the French player completely collapsed. Unable to finish, she allowed her opponent to reel off four consecutive games to turn the match around and secure victory. Final score for the American: 3/6-6/3-7/5.

Now with a record of 22 wins for 17 losses this season, the French player is struggling to find her May form, when she won the Clarins Trophy and had a great run at Roland Garros. Currently ranked 66th in the live rankings, Diane Parry will compete at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati starting August 11th.