The beautiful story of Diane Parry ends there for the 2022 edition. The Frenchwoman, 97th in the world, lost, Friday, May 27, in two sets against Sloane Stephens (6-2, 6-3) in the third round. of Roland Garros. Overtaken in a one-sided meeting, the one who had created the surprise by eliminating the defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, then the Colombian Camila Osorio, was too clumsy to scare the American, former finalist Porte d’Auteuil (in 2018, against Simona Halep).
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It’s a match to forget for the Frenchwoman, who from the start of the match showed signs of feverishness. Not in her match, she offered break points in each of her service games to the winner of the 2017 US Open (7 in total), who did not ask for so much. Without making the game, the 64th player in the world was content to send everything back into the court, until Parry let go, like the two crucial but totally missed net climbs, at 4-2. Despite Chatrier’s encouragement, the Niçoise by birth could not help giving up the first round in 38 minutes.
If she showed more aggressiveness in the second run, forcing Stephens to do the windshield wiper, her risk-taking was however fatal to her. Broken from the start, the Frenchwoman was pushed to the fault by wanting to return to the level of the former world number 3. His backhand, very effective in the first two games of the tournament, this time failed him (13 unforced errors with this shot).
Parry showed more character late in the game, saving a first match point at 5-1 before breaking Stephens. The inevitable was delayed by ten minutes, with the interruption following a spectator’s discomfort. But the French, resisting two other match points, ended up – logically – bowing. As in 2019, she fails in the second round of the Grand Slam tournament. The American, meanwhile, will face Jil Teichmann, Victoria Azarenka’s faller.