Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens, Billie Jean King, and American tennis fraternity congratulate Alycia Parks on Lyon Open victory
Alycia Parks stunned Caroline Garcia to win her maiden WTA singles title at the Lyon Open on Sunday (February 5).
The young American got past top seed Garcia by prevailing in two tightly-contested sets, 7-6(7), 7-5, in the finals of the indoor hardcourt event after having entered the competition unseeded.
The tennis fraternity has since marveled at the impressive achievement, with messages of congratulations pouring in from fellow-American players, both of the current generation as well as those from the past.
Coco Gauff, who made a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, posted an image of the victorious Lyon Open champion as part of her Instagram story.
Sloane Stephens, who is currently in Dallas along with compatriot Madison Keys, was also quick to highlight Park's win on social media.
Former World No. 1 and American tennis legend Billie Jean King also sent in her congratulatory message following Park's first WTA title.
"What a win! Congratulations to @TheRealAParks on her very first WTA title. Watch this space," she tweeted.
What a win!
Congratulations to @TheRealAParks on her very first WTA title.
Watch this space. twitter.com/wta/status/162…
Paul Annacone, former coach of Roger Federer, lauded the youngster for playing well all week to clinch the title.
"How about a huge congrats to Alycia Parks. What an amazing week," he said.
twitter.com/wta/status/162…
How about a huge congrats to @TheRealAParks
What an amazing week 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🏆 twitter.com/wta/status/162…
Alycia Parks continues her ascent after impressing at Ostrava last year
Alycia Parks made the headlines during the 2022 AGEL Open in Ostrava where she shocked former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 7-6 (3) in the first round before accounting for Maria Sakkari 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in the second.
Barbora Krejcikova finally ended Park's dream run by registering a straight-sets win in the quarterfinals.
The promise shown by Parks in Ostrava last year culminated in a well-deserved title win in France. She began her Lyon Open campaign with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 first-round win against Julia Grabher of Austria.
Despite winning the opening set, fourth seed Petra Martic failed to stop the American in the second round, going down 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2.
The 22-year-old carried the winning momentum into the quarterfinals where she overcame Danka Kovinic 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. The Atlanta-born player, who now resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida, ran into Maryna Zanevska in the semifinals, defeating the Ukranian-born Belgian 6-3, 7-6(4).
The rampaging Alycia Parks faced her toughest test in the title round, where she took just over two hours to upset the fancied Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia to register a maiden milestone in her career.