French star Diane Parry has named a fellow WTA Tour player who competed at the 2026 US Open as “not the most pleasant person on the tour.”
Parry was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by world No 17 Sorana Cirstea in the second round at the US Open after she defeated Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-4 in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
The 24-year-old climbed to her career-high ranking of world No 31 on Monday after securing her maiden title at the WTA 500 event in Monterrey.
She defeated Donna Vekic, Oleksandra Oliynykova, Clara Tauson, Ann Li and Elise Mertens during an impressive run in Mexico.
Despite her ranking jump, Parry was unseeded at the US Open as the cutoff for seeding positions was last week.
Parry made a last-minute arrival in Monterrey with only three rackets in her luggage, and at one stage during the tournament, she had to contend with having a shortage of strings.
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Julie Coin, Parry’s coach, told French newspaper L’Equipe that another player at the Monterrey event refused to lend the Frenchwoman any strings.
Speaking to L’Equipe at the US Open, Parry was asked if she would reveal the identity of the player who did not want to help her.
“I can say it now, it’s not a surprise, it’s Alycia Parks,” Parry divulged.
“She’s not the most pleasant person on the tour, so I don’t mind saying it.”
Alycia Parks is an American currently ranked 79th in the world, having reached a career-high ranking of 40th in 2023.
The 25-year-old lost 6-3, 6-3 to world No 100 Taylah Preston in the opening round of the US Open.
Parks reached the quarter-finals at the Monterrey Open last week.
Diane Parry reveals impact of 2026 French Open run
Parry achieved the best Grand Slam result of her career to date at this year’s French Open, where she reached the fourth round.
Asked by L’Equipe if her Roland Garros run opened her to new perspectives, Parry said: “Yes, I think every milestone you reach in a career is important, in this case, reaching the second week of a Grand Slam, which has always been my goal.
“I was very close, but I hadn’t been able to do it before. From one week to the next, everything is a bit up in the air. It’s true that I didn’t start the hard-court season very well.
“Sometimes, it takes a little time to get used to the different surfaces. Sometimes the work takes a little longer to pay off, whether it’s physical or even in terms of your game.
“Sometimes, you need a bit of patience, and when you feel it coming, it’s pretty great. You try to ride that wave to string together as many wins as possible and climb the rankings.”
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