Mayar Sherif became the first ever Egyptian woman to win a Women’s Tennis Association title after beating Marria Sakkari, who ranks seventh worldwide in women’s tennis, in the Parma Ladies Open final on Saturday, 1 October.
Sherif came out on top against her Greek opponent — who was the top seeded player in the tournament— in straight sets, winning with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-3.
First top ten win 👍
First career title 🤩What a moment for Mayar Sherif!#ParmaLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/E6DC5As6jT
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2022
“It means a lot for my country,” said Sherif. “It means a lot for the people back home, my family, all the hard work, all the mental struggles in the last weeks. I’m just thrilled and happy. This was never expected.”
This is one of a series of firsts for Sherif: In 2020, she became the first Egyptian woman to reach the Roland-Garros main draw, and in the following year she became the first Egyptian woman to reach the Australian Open main draw.
Apart from Sherif, only two other Egyptians have ever won championships at this level. Mohamed Safwat and Tamer El Sawy won equivalent titles in men’s tennis in 2020 and 1996 respectively.
Sherif, who was ranked 74 upon entering this tournament, earned 250 points for her win, an outcome that will catapult her to world 48th.
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