Alycia Parks reached the quarter-finals of the Lyon Open with a 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over fourth seed Petra Martic in the second round. The 22-year-old American needed two hours and 23 minutes to get the comeback win. Both players had five double faults each but Parks finished the match with 12 aces thrice as many as the Croatian’s four.
Both players won over 70% of their first-serve points – Parks won 75% while Martic won 74%. However, Parks won 54% of her second-serve points and 66% points on return on Martic’s second serve.
Lyon Open: Interesting matches lie ahead
Parks lost her serve only in the opening set.
She didn’t face any break point in the second set – neither player lost her serve in the set – and saved all three break points in the deciding set. The same was true for Martic as well who lost her serve only in the deciding set which tilted the match away from her.
Looking to reach the semi-finals of a WTA event for the first time, Parks will face either seventh seed Danka Kovinic or Anna Bondar. Sixth seed Mayar Sherif also lost in the second round of the French tournament. Czech Linda Noskova ousted Sherif 6-3, 6-2 in 68 minutes.
Noskova won 72% of her first-serve points to the Egyptian’s 48% and saved all three break points she faced. She also converted four of the six break points that came her way on Sherif’s serve. Noskova will now play Camila Osorio.
The Colombian defeated Jule Niemeier in two tight sets 7-6(5), 7-5 in two hours and three minutes to reach the quarters. The last couple of first-round matches were also completed at the Lyon Open on Wednesday. Alison Van Uytvanck won 6-2, 6-4 against Tamara Korpatsch in 90 minutes. Jasmine Paolini got through against Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 6-2 in 72 minutes.
