Egyptian tennis champion Mayar Sherif has advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open, after defeating Belgian player Elise Mertens—number 24 in the world—with a scoreline 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, making her the first Egyptian woman to reach the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event.
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WTA 1000 tournaments are the biggest regular season events organized by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The Mutua Madrid Open is taking place from 24 April until 7 May 2023.
Sherif came out on top against her Italian, Ukrainian, and French opponents — in straight sets. She defeated Italy’s Camilia Girogi and Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina, reaching round 32, then recorded a historic win over French world number five champion, Caroline Garcia, reaching round 16.
Another great day in Madrid. Vamos! 💪 pic.twitter.com/OP0dZzYdt5
— Mayar Sherif (@MayarSherif_1) May 1, 2023
The champion will now face either world number two, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka, or 16-year old Russian Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.
This is one of a series of firsts for Sherif: In October 2022, she became the first ever Egyptian woman to win a Women’s Tennis Association title. 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.
Her 2022 season ended in victory, after winning in the final match of the Copa LP Chile, after beating Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl with a scoreline of 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, securing her fourth world title in 2022.
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