Alycia Parks bags WTA 125 Angers title as Belinda Bencic's falls short in first final as a mother

Alycia Parks defeated Belinda Bencic in an exciting final at the WTA 125 Angers Loire and returns to the top 100 as she looks ahead to the 2025 season. The American secured her second title of the year in this category after beating the former world No. 4, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-0.

The talented 23-year-old has struggled to establish herself on the Tour after dazzling with her maiden title at the Lyon Open in early 2023. Although she reached her career-high ranking in the top 40, inconsistent results forced her to play lower-tier tournaments.

En route to the final, Parks overcame Julie Belgraver (6-2, 6-4), Tamara Korpatsch (7-6(3), 6-2), Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva (7-6(4), 6-3), and Mona Barthel (6-2, 1-6, 6-3). The final presented a significant challenge against none other than Belinda Bencic, the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, who is making her comeback after a year-long maternity leave. This was the Swiss player’s first final as a mother, achieved in just her third tournament back.

The first set lasted over an hour, with Bencic leading early. However, she squandered a 5-3 advantage as Parks mounted a comeback. The American forced a tiebreak and prevailed to take the set 7-6(4). In the second set, Bencic once again took an early lead with a break and this time held onto it, securing the set 6-3 without facing further breaks.

The third set saw a steep decline in Bencic’s serving performance. Despite landing 60% of her first serves and winning 60% of those points, her second serve was easily exploited by Parks, who won 100% of the points played on Bencic’s second serve. Parks closed the match emphatically with a bagel to claim her second WTA 125 title of the year, guaranteeing a 19-spot rise to world No. 84.

On the other hand, while Bencic was left with a bitter taste after the unfortunate third set, she can draw positives from her ability to adapt quickly and return to competitive form. Additionally, she achieved a remarkable climb of over 400 ranking spots to world No. 481. The 27-year-old is set to compete again this Monday at another WTA 125 event, the Limoges Open, after receiving a wildcard.