Diane Parry exits Ningbo as poor run continues

Diane Parry’s difficult period continued in Ningbo, where she made another early exit from a tournament in China. The Frenchwoman has now lost her last five matches since winning a round at the US Open, and her Asian swing has brought three opening-round defeats in succession. She will finish her season in Tokyo, beginning in qualifying for the WTA 500 event.

Parry, ranked 34th in the world, was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Alexandra Eala in their first meeting. The Philippine, who is ranked 20th and is 21 years old, needed one hour and 16 minutes to complete the victory. Parry recovered from an early break to level the first set at 3-3, but surrendered serve twice more. Eala then moved 4-0 ahead in the second set before closing out the match on her first match point.

The result does not affect Parry’s ranking position because her Asian record last year was also poor, with two wins in seven matches, including one in qualifying. It marks a sharp change from late August, when she captured the WTA 500 tournament in Monterrey, the biggest title of her career, and climbed to a career-high 30th place. She began this season ranked 122nd.