Parry on fire, Noskova up against a qualifier who isn’t acting like a qualifier.

Diane Parry doesn't arrive in Berlin as a player who's just going through the motions. The Frenchwoman upset Clara Tauson in the first round, 6-3, 6-4, dominating her first serve 85% of the time, saving break points 71.7% of the time, and converting her opportunities 45.3% of the time. On grass over 52 weeks, she boasts a 75% win rate at the WTA level, her service pressure metrics are among the best in the draw at 71.5%, and her match efficiency of 5.750 says one simple thing: when Parry plays well, she wins her matches decisively. Against top 20 players over 52 weeks, she has a 3-1 record, which is not the profile of an ordinary qualifier.

Linda Noskova is a solid seed with a 9-3 record on grass this season and a blistering serve averaging 6.7 aces per match. Her first-round match against Zarazúa was flawless, but Zarazúa is not Parry. The Czech saves her break points less effectively than the Frenchwoman, converts her own less well, and faces a player brimming with confidence after two matches on this surface this week. The head-to-head record at 2-2 confirms that Parry has no inhibitions in this encounter.