Photo: Instagram/@mayarsherif0
Tennis player Mayar Sherif has become the first Egyptian woman to record a win at the French Open. With her historic win on Friday, Sherif has secured her spot in the French Open’s main draw. Also known as the Roland-Garros Series, the French Open is one of the tennis world’s major Grand Slams.
To secure her spot in the prestigious tournament, Sherif played three qualifying matches, becoming the first female tennis player representing Egypt in a major tournament to record a win at any Grand Slam event. Beating out Colombian tennis player Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, American Caty McNally, and Italian player Giulia Gatto-Monticone, Sherif is deemed as the most accomplished Egyptian woman’s tennis player in history.
Speaking to Roland-Garros about her momentous victories, Sherif said, “I always imagined myself and visualized myself doing something good here in Paris. I’m just enjoying it, it’s such a dream to be here and to compete here. I’m going to try to enjoy it as much as I can.”
This year’s French Open’s marks Sherif’s first visit to the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, since she was a junior player. Despite starting last year’s season unranked, Sherf is now ranked at no. 172 in the world, alongside the highest-ranking Egyptian female player.
In response to her historic achievements, Sherif received support from fellow Egyptian sports star, Liverpool FC’s Mohamed Salah, who took to Twitter to congratulate the star. “It’s very, very nice to get this kind of support from someone who is already very, very good, and someone who is very special from Egypt,” Sherif told Roland Garros, “Honestly it’s very nice to see that people know who I am, that people know the effort I’m doing, that people know that, ‘Oh, this person is special, this person is doing something different’. This is very, very important, it gives me a lot of mental support.”
Sherif’s next match will be held next Sunday, where she will face Czech Republic’s Karoline Pliskova, who is currently ranked as fourth in the world.
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