Alycia Michelle Parks (born December 31, 2000) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 40, achieved on 14 August 2023, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 27, set on 11 September 2023.

Alycia Parks
Parks at the 2023 US Open
Full nameAlycia Michelle Parks
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePort St. Lucie, Florida
Born (2000-12-31) December 31, 2000 (age 23)[1]
Atlanta, Georgia
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachMichael Parks (father)
Prize moneyUS$ 1,728,160
Singles
Career record176–180
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 40 (August 14, 2023)
Current rankingNo. 128 (September 23, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2024)
French Open1R (2023)
Wimbledon2R (2023)
US Open1R (2021, 2023)
Doubles
Career record96–104
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 27 (September 11, 2023)
Current rankingNo. 75 (September 23, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (2023)
French Open2R (2023)
Wimbledon2R (2024)
US Open3R (2023)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US Open2R (2023, 2024)
Last updated on: September 25, 2024.

Career

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2021: WTA Tour & Grand Slam debut, fastest serve record

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She made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2021 MUSC Health Open in Charleston, having made it through qualifying as an alternate. She defeated qualifier Grace Min in the first round, before losing to top seed Ons Jabeur in the second.

In her first-round match at the US Open, she tied the record by Venus Williams for the fastest serve by a woman[2] that the tournament had ever recorded (129 mph).

2022: Breakthrough, top-10 win & first doubles title, top 75

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In 2022, she made her sixth career main-draw appearance advancing to the second round of the German Open in Berlin as a qualifier. As a result, she climbed to a career-high, up 34 spots from 169 to No. 135, on 20 June 2022.[3]

Ranked No. 144 at the Ostrava Open, she defeated as a qualifier former world No. 1, Karolína Plíšková, for her first top-20 win[4] and followed that by defeating world No. 7 and fourth seed, Maria Sakkari, for her first top-10 win to reach her first ever WTA quarterfinal.[5] At the same tournament in doubles, she won her maiden WTA Tour title, partnering Caty McNally. As a result, she made her top 125 debut in singles and top 100 debut in doubles, at No. 79 on 10 October 2022.

In December, she reached the top 75 in singles and top 60 in doubles following two back-to-back WTA Challenger singles titles and one in doubles.

2023: WTA Tour title & top-5 win, top 40 in singles & doubles, WTA 1000 doubles title

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As the top seed in the qualifying draw at the 2023 Australian Open, she lost in the second round to Sára Bejlek.[6][7][8] At the same tournament, Parks reached the third round in doubles on her debut at this major, partnering with Oksana Kalashnikova. They lost to eventual champions, Barbora Krejčíková and Katerina Siniaková.

At the Lyon Open she reached her first WTA semifinal defeating Julia Grabher, fourth seeded Petra Martić[9][10] and seventh seeded Danka Kovinić.[11][12] She defeated Maryna Zanevska to reach her first WTA Tour final.[13] Next, she defeated top seed Caroline Garcia, recording her first top-5 win, to claim her maiden career title.[14] As a result, she moved to new career-highs in the top 50, in doubles of No. 43 on 13 February 2023, and in singles of No. 50 on 27 February 2023. At the Madrid Open, she defeated 15th seed Viktoria Azarenka, in straight sets, to move into the third round for the first time at a WTA 1000 level.

She reached her second WTA Tour doubles final in Birmingham with Storm Hunter. She reached the second round of Wimbledon, before losing to Ana Bogdan. Parks also reached the second rounds of the Canadian Open, losing to Belinda Bencic, and in Cincinnati, losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

In doubles in Cincinnati, Parks paired with Taylor Townsend for the first time. Parks and Townsend won the title, defeating Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the final.[15]

2024: Major third round, back to top 100

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At the Australian Open, Parks reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career with wins over Daria Snigur and 32nd seed Leylah Fernandez, before being eliminated in the third round by fourth-seeded Coco Gauff, in straight sets. Despite this result, she fell out of the top 100 on 5 February 2024, not being able to defend her points from the Lyon Open which was cancelled in the 2024 season.

In doubles, at the Miami Open, she reached the semifinals with Asia Muhammad before losing to second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. As a result, she returned to the top 30 in the doubles rankings, at No. 29 on 1 April 2024.

Ranked No. 121, she qualified for the main draw of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.[16] In July, she won her second WTA 125 title for the season at the 2024 Polish Open.[17] As a result, she moved 22 positions up on 29 July 2024 and a week later to No. 99.

At the WTA 1000 2024 China Open she qualified and recorded her first main-draw win at a WTA Tour level (excluding the WTA 125 level), since the Australian Open, over Wang Qiang.[18]

Performance timelines

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.[19][20]

Singles

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Current through the China Open.

Tournament 2021 2022 2023 2024 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A Q2 Q2 3R 0 / 1 2–1 67%
French Open A Q1 1R Q2 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Wimbledon A Q1 2R 1R 0 / 2 1–2 33%
US Open 1R Q1 1R Q2 0 / 2 0–2 0%
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 1–3 2–2 0 / 6 3–6 33%
WTA 1000
Qatar Open[a] A A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Dubai[a] A A A Q1 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Indian Wells Open 1R Q1 1R Q1 0 / 2 0–2 0%
Miami Open A Q2 1R Q1 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Madrid Open A A 3R Q1 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Italian Open A A 1R Q1 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Canadian Open A A 2R 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Cincinnati Open Q1 A Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Guadalajara Open NH Q1 2R 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Wuhan Open NH 0 / 0 0–0  – 
China Open NH 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Win–loss 0–1 0–0 4–7 0 / 8 4–8 33%
Career statistics
2021 2022 2023 2024 SR W–L Win%
Tournaments 4 3 19 Career total: 26
Titles 0 0 1 0 Career total: 1
Finals 0 0 1 0 Career total: 1
Overall win-loss 2–4 3–3 13–19 1 / 26 18–26 41%
Year–end ranking[b] 237 118 47 $1,082,020

Significant finals

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WTA 1000 tournaments

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Doubles: 1 (title)

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Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2023 Cincinnati Open Hard   Taylor Townsend   Nicole Melichar-Martinez
  Ellen Perez
6–7(1–7), 6–4, [10–6]

WTA Tour finals

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Singles: 1 (1 title)

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Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
WTA 1000 (0–0)
WTA 500 (0–0)
WTA 250 (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–0)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (0–0)
Indoor (1–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Feb 2023 Lyon Open, France WTA 250 Hard (i)   Caroline Garcia 7–6(9–7), 7–5

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
WTA 1000 (1–0)
WTA 500 (1–0)
WTA 250 (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–0)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–1)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (1–1)
Indoor (1–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Oct 2022 Ostrava Open,
Czech Republic
WTA 500 Hard (i)   Caty McNally   Alicja Rosolska
  Erin Routliffe
6–3, 6–2
Loss 1–1 Jun 2023 Birmingham Classic,
United Kingdom
WTA 250 Grass   Storm Hunter   Marta Kostyuk
  Barbora Krejčíková
2–6, 6–7(7–9)
Win 2–1 Aug 2023 Cincinnati Open,
United States
WTA 1000 Hard   Taylor Townsend   Nicole Melichar-Martinez
  Ellen Perez
6–7(1–7), 6–4, [10–6]

WTA Challenger finals

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Singles: 4 (4 titles)

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Result W–L    Date    Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Dec 2022 Andorrà Open, Andorra la Vella Hard (i)   Rebecca Peterson 6–1, 6–4
Win 2–0 Dec 2022 Open Angers, France Hard (i)   Anna-Lena Friedsam 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
Win 3–0 Jun 2024 Veneto Open, Italy Grass   Bernarda Pera 6–4, 6–1
Win 4–0 Jul 2024 Polish Open, Poland Hard   Maya Joint 4–6, 6–3, 6–3

Doubles: 4 (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Result W–L    Date    Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Nov 2022 Midland Tennis Classic,
United States
Hard (i)   Asia Muhammad   Anna-Lena Friedsam
  Nadiia Kichenok
6–2, 6–3
Win 2–0 Dec 2022 Open Angers, France Hard (i)   Zhang Shuai   Miriam Kolodziejová
  Markéta Vondroušová
6–2, 6–2
Loss 2–1 May 2023 Clarins Open Paris, France Clay   Nadiia Kichenok   Anna Danilina
  Vera Zvonareva
7–5, 6–7(2–7), [12–14]
Win 3–0 Jun 2024 Veneto Open, Italy Grass   Hailey Baptiste   Miriam Kolodziejová
  Anna Sisková
7–6(7–4), 6–2

ITF Circuit finals

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Singles: 6 (1 title, 5 runner-ups)

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Legend
$60,000 tournaments (0–2)
$25,000 tournaments (1–2)
$15,000 tournaments (0–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–4)
Clay (0–1)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jun 2019 ITF Shreveport, United States 15,000 Clay   Hsu Chieh-yu 2–6, 3–6
Loss 0–2 Sep 2019 ITF Redding, United States 25,000 Hard   Gabriela Talabă 1–6, 1–6
Win 1–2 Nov 2020 ITF Orlando, United States 25,000 Hard   Robin Montgomery 3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Loss 1–3 Nov 2021 ITF Daytona Beach, United States 25,000 Hard   Irina Fetecău 1–6, 2–6
Loss 1–4 Feb 2022 Georgia's Rome Open, United States 60,000 Hard (i)   Tatjana Maria 4–6, 6–4, 2–6
Loss 1–5 Mar 2022 Arcadia Pro Open, United States 60,000 Hard   Rebecca Marino 6–7(0), 1–6

Doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runner-ups)

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Legend
$100,000 tournaments (1–0)
$60,000 tournaments (1–1)
$25,000 tournaments (1–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–1)
Clay (1–1)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Nov 2020 ITF Orlando,
United States
25,000 Hard   Rasheeda McAdoo   Jamie Loeb
  Erin Routliffe
4–6, 6–1, [11–9]
Loss 1–1 Nov 2021 ITF Daytona Beach,
United States
25,000 Hard   Alexandra Osborne   Elysia Bolton
  Kylie Collins
4–6, 7–6(5), [5–10]
Win 2–1 Jan 2022 Bendigo International, Australia 60,000+H Hard   Fernanda Contreras Gómez   Alison Bai
  Alana Parnaby
6–3, 6–1
Loss 2–2 Apr 2022 Charlottesville Open,
United States
60,000 Clay   Valentini Grammatikopoulou   Sophie Chang
  Angela Kulikov
6–2, 3–6, [4–10]
Win 3–2 Jul 2022 ITF Charleston Pro,
United States
100,000 Clay   Sachia Vickery   Tímea Babos
  Marcela Zacarías
6–4, 5–7, [10–5]

Top 10 wins

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Season 2022 2023 Total
Wins 1 1 2
# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score APR
2022
1.   Maria Sakkari No. 7 Ostrava Open, Czech Republic Hard (i) 2R 5–7, 7–5, 7–5 No. 144
2023
2.   Caroline Garcia No. 5 Lyon Open, France Hard (i) F 7–6(9–7), 7–5 No. 79

Notes

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  1. ^ a b The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open since 2009 until 2024. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The Premier 5 tournaments were reclassified as WTA 1000 tournaments in 2021.
  2. ^ 2017: WTA ranking–1208, 2018: WTA ranking–984, 2019: WTA ranking–410, 2020: WTA ranking–364.

References

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  1. ^ "Everything you always wanted to know about alycia parks". October 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "US Open: Wildcard Alycia Parks clocks fastest serve in Grand Slam's history". August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Rankings Watch: Jabeur up to career-high No.3, Haddad Maia streaking". Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  4. ^ "By the Numbers: Parks stuns Pliskova in Ostrava for first Top 20 win". Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Parks upsets Sakkari to continue breakthrough in Ostrava". Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Brenda Fruhvirtova, Shnaider, Bejlek qualify for Australian Open".
  7. ^ "Alycia Parks: "I definitely see myself as top 10 this year"".
  8. ^ "Players to watch in AO 2023 qualifying".
  9. ^ "Shot of the year contender? Parks pulls off tweener-lob in Lyon".
  10. ^ "Alycia Parks hits tweener lob winner against Petra Martic in Lyon, rallies to reach quarterfinals".
  11. ^ "Alycia Parks downs Kovinic for Lyon Open semi-final". February 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lyon Open: Alycia Parks takes a place in the SF; no. 1 seed Caroline Garcia through".
  13. ^ "Parks makes first WTA singles final; will meet top seed Garcia in Lyon".
  14. ^ "Parks upsets Garcia in Lyon to win first WTA singles title". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "Upset artists Parks and Townsend capture Cincinnati doubles title". WTA News. August 20, 2023. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "Katie Volynets, Robin Montgomery among four U.S. women to qualify at Wimbledon". June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "Parks triumphs in Warsaw to claim second WTA 125 title of year". July 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "MATCH POINT: Alycia Parks earns first tour-level main-draw win since January over Wang Qiang in Beijing". September 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "Alycia Parks [USA] | Australian Open". ausopen.com.
  20. ^ "Alycia Parks matches". WTA Tennis. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
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