Emerging star Alycia Parks steps up in French Open qualifier, cheered on by idol Venus Williams

Former world number one Venus Williams celebrated the success of young American star Alycia Parks. The 23-year-old is currently taking part in the qualifying round of the French Open, where she defeated France's Manon Leonard in the first round on Monday with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Williams, who has been an idol of Parks, posted a picture on her official account on the social media platform Instagram where she celebrated her success by writing that: “Watching Alycia Parks shine.” That post would have definitely give the 23-year-old a lot of hope going into the next match where she will be facing Japan’s Sara Saito.

Parks has only managed to play once in the main draw at the Roland Garros which was last year where she was knocked out of the competition after losing in the first round to Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-0. Parks is going through a difficult season where she has only managed to win two matches and suffered 12 defeats in 14 outings. Her only victories came in the Australian Open, where she was eventually knocked out after losing in the third round to America’s Coco Gauff with a score of 6-0, 6-2.