First withdrawal from United Cup: France replaces singles leader

The United Cup is drawing closer, with a star-studded draw featuring Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev, Zheng Qinwen, Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, and more. Starting on December 29, 18 competing nations will kick off the group stage.

Team France qualified for the tournament as the 10th seed, led by Ugo Humbert (world No. 14), who secured the fifth ATP spot. This brought his French compatriots into the tournament, where Diane Parry was expected to compete as the team’s top WTA singles player.

Each country attends with delegations of four to six players, including ATP and WTA singles No. 1 and No. 2, as well as two doubles specialists.

Parry (No. 63), the second-highest-ranked Frenchwoman on the WTA Tour behind 31-year-old Caroline Garcia (No. 48), has been ruled out of the United Cup due to injury. Garcia, a former WTA Finals champion, opted to skip early-season tournaments and will head directly to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

The 22-year-old Parry has shown flashes of brilliance in her career, breaking into the top 60 for the first time in 2022. Despite struggles to remain in the top 100, she is a dangerous opponent and one of the few women on tour to play with a one-handed backhand, a rarity in modern tennis.

"Diane Parry has withdrawn from the United Cup due to injury. Chloé Paquet moves into the No.1 position for Team France."

Her most notable victory came at the 2022 French Open when she defeated then-world No. 2 and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round.

The United Cup official account on X posted today: "Diane Parry has withdrawn from the United Cup due to injury. Chloé Paquet moves into the No.1 position for Team France."

Parry’s injury leaves France without its top female singles player for the clash against Switzerland, led by Belinda Bencic, returning from maternity leave. Chloe Paquet (No. 123) will step in as France’s female singles representative. The French team also includes Ugo Humbert, Corentin Moutet, Édouard Roger-Vasselin, and Elixane Lechemia.