Get to know Diane Parry

French 19-year-old Diane Parry sent shockwaves through the grounds on Monday at Roland-Garros when she knocked off defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in three sets on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Read on to find out more about the rising world No.97.

She has made noise at Roland-Garros before 

When Parry made her first main draw appearance in 2019, she quickly defeated Vera Lapko to become the youngest woman to win a match at Roland-Garros since Portugal's Michelle Larcher De Brito in 2009.

She would go on to lose to world No.20 Elise Mertens in the second round. Until Monday, Mertens was the highest-ranked player Parry had ever faced.

Parry made her debut in the qualifying of the Roland-Garros girls' singles draw as a 13-year-old, in 2016.

She is a true local 

Parry was born in Nice, but has lived in the same neighborhood as Roland-Garros since she was a young child.

She attended the Dupanloup school, located just opposite the stadium for most of her schooling, before migrating just a few hundred metres further to the Jean-de- la-Fontaine in a class with adapted timetables. 

Parry joined the National Training Centre located just across the street, at 4 boulevard Molitor, when she was 14.

“When I was at school, when my mother would bring me to school, I could see every day the Roland Garros stadium,” Parry said. “It was a dream for me to play there once. 

“I played there, and I actually won, so it's wonderful. Today it's a dream come true in front of a beautiful crowd.”

Win over Krejcikova was biggest of her career - by far 

Not only was her victory over the second-ranked Krejcikova her biggest victory of her career, it was also her first ever match against a top-10 player. Her previous biggest career win was against world No.80 Beatriz Haddad Maia.

“I'm very happy, because I have had wonderful emotions on the court,” Parry told reporters on Monday. “But I try not to get too fired up. I try to think one match at a time. I will have a next match on Wednesday, so I just want to enjoy and then focus right away on the tournament.

"Obviously it was a wonderful experience for me. I have lived wonderful emotions today. It gives me the willingness to work even harder and to come back next year and to win against formidable players.”

A one-hander to die for 

Parry is one of a small group of WTA players to utilise a one-handed backhand. Hers is an elegant stroke, with a long, graceful finish.

During Monday's victory, commentators compared her style to that of Roger Federer, but French legend and current Roland-Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo might be a better comparison.

Parry originally learned to play with a two-hander, but switched to the single-handed version at the age of 12. 

Artistic on the court, but doesn’t want it to be her calling card 

Parry enjoys playing an aesthetic brand of tennis, and there is clearly an artistic flair to her game.

Focusing on the right shot, rather than the prettiest shot, has been a challenge for the teenager in the past. 

“This is what is hard also for me for every match, because I tend to get frustrated when I feel that my level of play is not up to par,” she said after her win over Krejcikova. “On the tour, there are a lot of matches that you can win without playing that well just by making [balls], by outplaying the opponent.

“I try to make progress on that. This is what I did sometimes during the match actually.”

She played primarily on clay in 2021 to improve her physicality 

Last year Parry took the decision to place her focus on clay. She played solely on the surface from March through the end of the season, contesting 69 straight matches on clay, reaching five ITF finals (winning four titles) and climbing in the rankings from 308 to 141.

She even skipped US Open qualifying to continue with the plan, and believes the experience has set her up for future success. 

“It was important, because it helped me progress physically,” she said on Monday in Paris. “By actually having a lot of matches under my belt on clay court, I managed to make progress, physically speaking, much more than in practice. And I gained self-confidence, because also winning a tournament helps a lot. 

“Of course it was hard also to skip the US Open, but it was a deliberate choice. I needed to make progress for my career.”

She’s proud of her poise

Parry likes to keep it buttoned up when she’s on the court. Inside a chaotic Court Phillipe-Chatrier, with her home crowd going ballistic on Monday, she was calm and composed. 

“This is the way I am every day,” she said. “This is why I don't change. Even though I had a great victory today, I'm not going to change. I will not cry out loud my victory. This is the way I am every day. I'm calm, I'm poised.”