UAE tops medal table on day 1 of AJP Tour Asia Continental Pro in Abu Dhabi

Parma: Moments after her heroic effort to become Egypt’s first-ever WTA champion at the Parma Women’s Open, she couldn’t hide her skepticism as she tried to express how she felt about her latest achievement.

After rain on Friday, the 26-year-old from Cairo had to play in the semi-final and final on the same day.

Sharif played 4 hours and 26 minutes on the court on Saturday, beating Romanian Anna Bogdan in the semifinals and Greece’s world No. 7 Maria Sakkari in the final to claim her first WTA title level trophy.

The win was Sharif’s first against a top 50 opponent – she went 0-10 to a top 50 player in the final – and it required incredible courage as the Egyptian collapsed from a collapse in three matches. In the first set, they defeated the former world number three Sakari 7-5 and 6-3 in the second set.

“I’m so tired, I can’t, I really can’t,” Sharif told Arab News with a smile after the historic victory.

“I lost the (WTA) 250 final last year, so this time I walked out onto the court and thought, ‘I don’t want to lose again’; I really don’t like losing the final. So I had this mentality of, ‘I really To win, I’ll do my best, stretch my limits, I have nothing to lose”; I’m loose.

“I know I’m tired and I have to work hard. Really thank God it happened and we can’t believe it.”

While Sharif lost her only last WTA final at Cluj-Napoca last season, Karena was a big matchup, winning all four finals and she reached $100,000 or 125 series level, which is just below the main tour level.

“I really hate losing finals, last year I lost back-to-back two finals and I told Justo (my coach), ‘My next final, no matter what, I’m going to win this final’,” she admitted .

“Because it shows what kind of champion you are, and it shows your character. So I hate losing the final, I have to go for it. I’m so tired today, I really can’t believe I made it.”

Mayar Sherif: I’m tired, I’m exhausted. First of all I want to congratulate Maria, I know it’s not what you expected, but you are an amazing player, a great champion, you don’t have to prove it, we know who you are. pic.twitter.com/ge4qzidE5e

— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) October 1, 2022

Sharif’s brutal three-set victory over Bogdan earlier in the day gave her the confidence to step up against Sakari, who lost just three games to the Egyptian in their last encounter in Doha last year.

“The last time I played against Sakari, she beat me in both sets, so I walked on the court today thinking I was going to catch her. I know she’s struggling, I know she’s not doing well in the final , so I caught up with her,” Sharif said.

Sharif will return to the top 50 on Monday, rising from No. 74 to No. 48 in the world rankings, having struggled since she was injured at the French Open in May and sidelined her for more than two months.

The Pepperdine graduate had lost six of nine matches when he returned to the tour in August, arriving in Parma last week with zero expectations.

“I had a cold from the start of the game and my nose was blocked from the first game,” Sharif revealed.

“I came to Parma really thinking that I was just trying to get through the first round, I was just trying to win a game. But somehow things always happen one by one. To everyone’s surprise, I came here from a low point “I kept losing, I was looking for my rhythm, and this came out of nowhere.”

First time in the top ten
first professional title

What a beautiful moment for Mayar Sherif!#ParmaLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/E6DC5As6jT

— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2022

Sherif is no stranger to making history as she continues to write a new chapter in the record books for Egyptian women’s tennis. She was the first WTA player in her country to break into the top 50, the first to win a Grand Slam tournament, and now the first to win a tournament on tour.

“I’m very happy that I broke a lot of barriers today; I won my first top 10, I won the WTA 250, and it’s all been huge for me,” she said.

“I’ve been struggling mentally lately, very, very much. My feet don’t feel the same and physically I can’t get back to where I was. I try to really push myself every day in practice. Bad or lost, but it paid off in the end.

“It gave me an unrealistic motivation to keep going and made me try to improve myself. I still had huge profits and I wasn’t playing my best at all. So it gave me the impetus to improve and let me I’m really happy to be back where I was before.”

Sharif’s rise over the past few seasons has coincided with the meteoric rise of Tunisian world No. 2 Ons Jabeur, who has overcome all odds with a string of unprecedented feats by his Arab tennis players.

fail gracefully

good words from @mariasakari#ParmaLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/ZZsHVLL3KU

— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2022

Jaber, the highest-ranked African woman and highest-ranked player of Arab descent in history, has become a force to be reckoned with by reaching consecutive Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open this season.

“I’m not at all shocked by what Ons did,” Jabeur’s Sherif said.

“She’s a great champion, she’s broken a lot of barriers and I have no doubt her spirit is stronger than many players in the top 10 and top 50.

“In Africa, we have this talent that I don’t think other people have. Anse is mentally ahead of a lot of people at such a high level, God bless her.

“I wasn’t surprised at all by what she did. What she did really push me forward. I saw her play a Grand Slam final and I thought, ‘It’s time for me to work harder’.

“I’ve won 250 championships and I’m already thinking about what’s going to happen next. She gives me this inner push; I have the drive to follow her.”

Sharif will travel to Cairo on Sunday for a three-week training session before returning to the pitch for the final phase of the 2022 season.