US Open wildcard Alycia Parks has tied Venus Williams’ record for the fastest women’s serve in the event’s history after clocking a speed of 129 mph in her match against Olga Danilović.Coincidentally, Parks only qualified for the tournament after Williams no longer needed her wildcard, with this being the 20-year-old’s first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam.Williams was unable to compete at this year’s event because of a leg injury and announced her withdrawal on the same day as sister Serena –– who remains in search of a record-equalling 24th major title."Not the best news from Serena and I today," the seven-time Grand Slam champion said on Twitter. "I too am unable to play the US Open. It's super, super, super disappointing. Having some issues with my leg all this summer and just couldn't work through it."The 41-year-old’s serve record at Flushing Meadows had stood for 14 years, with Williams registering her top speed in the first round of the 2007 tournament –– where she eventually reached the semi-finals.Her absence this year paved the way for Parks though –– a player ranked 246th in the world.While Parks will take pride in creating a piece of history in New York, a dream win on debut was not to be for the American, after she was defeated by Danilović in straight sets 6-3 7-5.Nonetheless, it continues to be a great year for the rising star, who has rocketed up the rankings so far in 2021.

Last October, the 20-year-old was ranked 368th but won her first ITF title in Orlando against the highly-rated Robin Montgomery to kick-start her success.

Since then, she’s qualified for her first WTA main draw event at the Charleston Open and then in Lausanne, where she took defending champion Fiona Ferro to three sets.

Having risen more than 100 places in the rankings during the last 12 months there are clear signs of progression for Parks. Her serve is clearly a weapon and gives her a chance against almost every opponent.

For now though, she’ll return to smaller challenger events in a bid to become a mainstay on the WTA tour. But on this evidence alone, we’ll be seeing plenty more of her at Slams in the near future.