Mayar Sherif becomes first Egyptian tennis player to win WTA Tour event

Mayar Sherif and Ons Jabeur of Tunisia are raising the profile of tennis in North Africa.

1 min read

02 October, 2022

This was Sherif's first career title and her first win over a top-10 opponent [Getty]

Tennis player Mayar Sherif became the first Egyptian to win a WTA Tour event by beating top-seeded Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-3 at the Parma Ladies Open on Saturday.

Besides earning her first career title, Sherif also notched her first win over a top-10 opponent.

First top ten win 👍
First career title 🤩

What a moment for Mayar Sherif!#ParmaLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/E6DC5As6jT
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2022

Along with Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, who reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals this year, Sherif is raising the profile of tennis in North Africa.

The 74th-ranked Sherif actually had to win two matches on Saturday, first overcoming sixth-seeded Ana Bogdan 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals, which were postponed a day due to rain.

The seventh-ranked Sakkari beat Danka Kovinic 7-5, 6-2 in her semifinal earlier Saturday.