Google News
In her debut appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, Alycia Parks surprised herself and the fans at the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. She singlehandedly defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 entering her first third round WTA-1000 tournament.
Parks is still trying to analyze her winning performance over a player in the top 20s. "I think it was a little bit of expectations and a lot of little stuff thrown at me," she truthfully admits. This was the 4th straight player that she's won over and it's beginning to feel likeher game is coming together.
Alycia has defeated Karolina Pliskova, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia and now Azarenka. She has also started doing well in doubles by earning two titles last November and December winning with Asia Muhammad and then with Zhang Shuai.
She then won a title against Rebecca Peterson at a WTA 125K in Andorra and a few months ago captured the Lyon Open in France over Caroline Garcia in straight sets. Players often try calculating what happened and why when they lose matches.
Parks wants to find out what she did right. "Every opponent, I just look at them all the same," she told the WTA tour media. "I don't think about their ranking...I just go out there and play them as if I was playing someone with no ranking." It was obvious that Parks swung into her groove really well, getting 13 aces on Azarenka, a player that can be highly assertive and can get down right gritty to win a match.
Alycia wasn't aware of her ace potential and when told, she joked and said "That's exciting." She takes nothing for granted and hopes to continue her trek of not only solid, stunning aces but playing high percentage successful tennis.
Last year she was ranked no. 163 but now no. 54 and climbing slowly up the ladder of the WTA tour ladies. She has admitted on being a little sidetracked on her losses and wins but said "...I had to go back to how I was winning these matches..." Alycia Parks has certainly caught the eyes of fans and the tennis community.
"Wins obviously really gives you confidence..." she smilingly says but always remembers that "each loss, I put it in my back pocket and get rid of it."