Thirty French singles players have taken to the courts of Stade Roland Garros in Paris over the last week hopeful of earning an ultra-rare feat in the tennis world – success in a home Grand Slam.
But only one local hero remains as we enter the prized second week of the claycourt major.
Enter world No.92 Diane Parry.
The dynamic Frenchwoman stunned sixth seed Amanda Anisimova on Saturday, spurred on by a rambunctious local crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time.
Despite a gritty second-set comeback from the American, Parry showcased her impressive all-court game to triumph 6-3 4-6 7-6(3) over the 2019 semifinalist in two hours and 44 minutes.
It represented the second-best win of Parry’s career, behind her triumph over world then-No.2 Barbora Krejcikova in 2022, also at Roland Garros.
“I think I just believed like all the match I could win and go take it even in three sets,” Parry told reporters after the upset.
“I felt like my game was disturbing her in some ways, so I was just trying to stay with this in my head and be able to go and take it in the end,” she said, pointing to her backhand slice as a weapon which caused Anisimova problems.
Equipped with boisterous home support, Parry will face Polish world No.114 Maja Chwalinska on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday night (AEST) with a real shot at history.
Should she emerge victorious, it will be the first time in over 20 years that French women have made consecutive Roland Garros quarterfinals, after Lois Boisson’s fairytale run to the semifinals last year.
This hasn’t happened since Amelie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce made the final eight in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
If she can pull it off, Parry would face a tough task against the winner of Anastasia Potapova and Anna Kalinskaya.
Not many onlookers would write the 23-year-old off after a sensational week amid the Parisian heatwave.
Prior to the Anisimova boilover, she bounced back from losing the first set 0-6 to defeat in-form Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, whose achievements this year include making the final in Rabat, the third round in Madrid and winning two WTA 125 titles.
She also earned a straight-sets victory over No.30 seed Ann Li, who made the semifinals in Strasbourg earlier in May.
Few tennis players enjoy competing at a home Grand Slam, but fewer still grew up across the road.
Parry was born in Nice, in the French Riviera, but moved to Paris as a child and went to school in the same district as the Stade Roland Garros complex.
She made history in 2019 by earning her first main-draw Slam win at just 16 years and 281 days old, downing Vera Lapko in straight sets.
Earning plaudits as one of the WTA tour’s only purveyors of the one-handed backhand, Parry has said she was inspired by countrywoman Amelie Mauresmo, as well as legendary one-handers Justine Henin and Roger Federer.
But in recent months, the 23-year-old has tweaked her style to bring a unique approach to the famous stroke.
She maintains the one-handed backhand during rallies, but when returning serve she now typically opts for a two-handed backhand, which helps her better block strong serves.
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“I started before the season to work it to return, and it depends on the type of serve of my opponent, depending on the conditions and the player,” Parry said in Paris.
“It depends on how I feel that day. It's not the same every day, because it's not a set shot for me yet. I have to adapt, depending on the player and the conditions.”
The stars seem to be aligning for the 23-year-old, who sits in an open top half of the draw which has lost top seeds including Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Victoria Mboko and now Anisimova.
With the wind at her back and the whole country behind her, the stage is set for Parry to keep the French torch alight deep into the tournament’s second week.