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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 17, 2024
Alycia Parks sports activities a golden arm that may generate jaw-dropping energy from the service stripe. She used that world-class serve to say her maiden title in Lyon in 2023, defeating Caroline Garcia within the closing, and reached a career-high rating of No.40 on the earth at one level final yr.
Now ranked 82, Parks used that energy sport to earn her greatest win by rating at a Slam on Day 4, taking out Leylah Fernandez, 7-5, 6-4.
Forward of her third-round conflict with Coco Gauff on the Australian Open, Parks is regarded as a uncooked expertise with important upside. Listed below are 5 issues to know concerning the American earlier than her second within the highlight.
1. She struck the quickest serve in US Open girls’s singles historical past
That occurred in 2021, when Parks slammed a 129 MPH serve on her US Open fundamental draw debut, tying herself with Venus Williams for the quickest US Open serve on report. As of this week, Parks has tripled her haul of Grand Slam fundamental draw victories, bettering her profession report on the majors to 3-4.
2. She’s obtained a brand new coach
Parks was coached by her father Michael throughout her adolescence, and did not play a lot on the junior circuit. She defined the reasoning behind that in her press convention on Day 4 in Melbourne.
“My dad took me out of the juniors solely as a result of I used to be rising so quick, and he did not need me to get injured,” she mentioned. “He wished me to develop. I at all times wished to go professional, and that was the objective ever since I picked up the racquet. So I believe it panned out properly, and I would not take any completely different route.”
Parks began working with Aussie coach Mark Hlawaty just some days earlier than the Australian Open. Since then she has gained two matches to achieve the third spherical at a serious for the primary time. Not dangerous in any respect.
“Mark has been working with me this week,” she mentioned. “It is sort of new. Properly, he is serving to me out for Australian Open and hopefully sooner or later. I believe we’re a very good partnership, and we look ahead to working collectively sooner or later.
“He flew in I believe Friday. Thursday night time or Friday. Then we had in the future to prep. Then, I do not know, we’re within the third spherical, so I believe we’re doing fairly good collectively, yeah.”
3. She’s already defeated Gauff – in MIXED
Ultimately yr’s US Open, Parks and Denis Kudla defeated Gauff and Jack Sock in blended doubles in straight units. Parks has been a very good doubles participant basically, owns two titles on tour and is presently ranked 31 within the self-discipline.
4. She watches Serena for inspiration
Parks says that she loves watching Serena’s matches to today, and even watched one earlier this week. What does she get from watching the GOAT? Tranquility.
“I’d say positively her calmness when she’s in sure conditions,” Parks advised reporters on Wednesday in Melbourne. “When issues are going too quick, she’ll really decelerate and rethink her serve. That is positively certainly one of her weapons.
“Simply the way in which she carried herself on the court docket, she’s very targeted. She does not, like, rush. I are likely to rush slightly bit after which normally that is after I begin to sort of snowball. So I’ve to gradual it down and take it level by level.”
5. Gauff says it’s only a matter of time earlier than Parks breaks out on tour
Talking of the matchup, Gauff had lots of reward for the 23-year-old.
“I’ve identified her for a very long time, since I used to be, like, possibly like 9 years outdated,” Gauff mentioned. “Used to observe along with her and her sister. We each lived in Delray Seaside, in that space. I do know her very properly. I at all times refer her — clearly not for the following match.
“She has a giant sport, huge serve, huge pictures, very athletic. I believe she’s one of the vital – if not “the” most – athletic gamers on tour. Like me, her, Sloane, and Iga are in all probability up there and Sakkari. And there may be extra I am in all probability lacking. These can be, like, my high 5. She’s like up there. “It’ll be a troublesome match. I do not count on it to be simple. I’ve by no means performed her really since that age apart from the blended doubles we had at US Open, however I’ve by no means performed her in observe or something. We’re each getting in, you already know, not blind as a result of we clearly watched one another, however by no means hit or something.
“It’ll be a troublesome match. She’s a terrific participant, and I at all times knew she was going to do properly on tour. It was only a matter of when it was all going to align. I believe now it is beginning to align.”
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