A 6-0 set in the middle of it
Diane Parry lost the second set without winning a game. She won the trophy anyway.
The 23-year-old beat Elise Mertens 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 in the final of the Abierto GNP Seguros de Monterrey, and it is the first WTA title of her career. It was also the first WTA final she had ever reached.
Parry sits 50th in the world. Before this week, her best return of the season was a semi-final in Ostrava.
Mertens was supposed to win it. Seeded second, ranked 24th, 30 years old and with a resume that dwarfs her opponent’s.
Try it for $0.99.
Three sets, three completely different matches
Parry started fast. Break in the opening game, 3-0 up before Mertens had found her feet. She did exactly the same thing again in the decider.
The middle set belonged entirely to the Belgian. Four Parry double faults handed it over, and Mertens won nine of the 12 points played on the Frenchwoman’s second serve. Six-love, in a blink.
Then came the trades. Breaks in back-to-back games in the third before Parry steadied herself, held, and served it out.
No time to enjoy it
New York is next. Parry opens her US Open on Monday against Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.
Mertens starts on Tuesday, facing Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo.
Discover the rest of the Tennis news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply