Sherif Becomes Egypt's First WTA Champion

Mayar Sherif of Egypt. Mike Stobe GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Mayar Sherif of Egypt. Mike Stobe GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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Sherif Becomes Egypt's First WTA Champion

Mayar Sherif of Egypt. Mike Stobe GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Mayar Sherif of Egypt. Mike Stobe GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Mayar Sherif became the first woman from Egypt to win a WTA Tour title on Saturday when she defeated top seed and world number seven Maria Sakkari in the Parma final.

The 26-year-old triumphed over her Greek rival 7-5, 6-3, also achieving her first ever top 10 win.

"It means a lot for my country," AFP quoted Sherif as saying.

"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."

Sherif, ranked 74 in the world, carved out her place in history on a grueling day which saw her playing a semi-final and final back-to-back after Friday's schedule had been washed out by rain.

She finished the final with 10 winners to 11 unforced errors and generated 13 break points, converting six. Sakkari hit 22 winners to 22 unforced errors.

"I'm exhausted," Sherif said after coming back from being an early break down in both sets of the claycourt final.

"Today was a very tough day for me, many hours on court. I'm very happy that I pulled it off. I had to dig very deep."

"The first match was emotionally and mentally tough. There were so many key moments in the match, a lot of pressure. But after I won that match it gave me a lot of confidence so I used that for the match right after."

Earlier on Saturday, Sherif, had required almost three hours to defeat sixth-seeded Ana Bogdan 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals.

Sakkari eased through to her first final since Indian Wells with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Danka Konvinic of Montenegro.



Former Argentina Coach Sampaoli Takes Over at French Club Rennes

FILE - Coach Jorge Sampaoli of Brazil's Flamengo reacts during a Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg soccer match against Paraguay's Olimpia at Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay, Aug.10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File )
FILE - Coach Jorge Sampaoli of Brazil's Flamengo reacts during a Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg soccer match against Paraguay's Olimpia at Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay, Aug.10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File )
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Former Argentina Coach Sampaoli Takes Over at French Club Rennes

FILE - Coach Jorge Sampaoli of Brazil's Flamengo reacts during a Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg soccer match against Paraguay's Olimpia at Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay, Aug.10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File )
FILE - Coach Jorge Sampaoli of Brazil's Flamengo reacts during a Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg soccer match against Paraguay's Olimpia at Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, Paraguay, Aug.10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File )

Former Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli is taking over at French league side Rennes.
The 64-year-old is returning to French soccer following a previous stint with Marseille.
Rennes said late Monday that Sampaoli signed a 1 1/2-year contract, The Associated Press reported.
Sampaoli, who was in charge of Argentina at the 2018 World Cup, replaces Julien Stephan, who was dismissed last week.
Rennes is looking for a jolt after a mediocre spell that saw the team slump to 13th place in the standings, 18 points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain after 11 matches.
“He is a coach who is recognized internationally for his professionalism and humanism,” said Arnaud Pouille, the executive chairman and managing director at Rennes. “He has a strong attachment to his players and staff, and is a loyal and committed man. We need his energy to get the club moving again and to face the competition with determination.”
The much-traveled Sampaoli has also coached clubs in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Spain and Brazil.
Sampaoli abruptly left Marseille in July 2022 after leading the team back to the Champions League, over a disagreement related to the club's transfers of players.