Alycia Parks Wins Against Karolina Pliskova in Ostrava

American qualifier Alycia Parks caused a major upset in the Ostrava Open, defeating former world number one Karolina Pliskova in the first round.

Parks, ranked 133 in the world, defeated the 19th-ranked Pliskova with a score of 6-0, 7-6.

This victory marked Parks' first win against a top-20 player. Prior to this match, she had only faced a top-20 player once, losing to Ons Jabeur in Berlin earlier this year.

'This is my first win against a top-20 player, so I'm really grateful to have made it through this match,' said Parks.

Her win against Pliskova also marked her fourth WTA tournament win and her first hard-court victory. Her previous wins were on clay and grass courts.

The 21-year-old now has a 2-2 record in WTA tournaments this year. Her other win this season was in Berlin, where she defeated Zheng Qinwen, then ranked 46th in the world.

Throughout the match, Parks served six aces, while Pliskova failed to serve any. Parks also had a solid performance with her first serve, winning 72% of her first-serve points in the 1 hour 28-minute match.

Additionally, Parks won 84% of Pliskova's second-serve points and converted all five break points she created.

'My serve came naturally. I want to thank my dad for teaching me. He always gave me a rhythm, like a dance, one-two. So, it's always stuck in my head,' said Parks, who finished the first set in just 27 minutes.

Parks will face fourth-seed Maria Sakkari in the second round of the Ostrava Open.

In another match, Parks' compatriot Catherine McNally defeated Anna Blinkova with a score of 6-1, 6-2 and will face either seventh-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or home favorite Karolina Muchova in the second round.