Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Egypt’s Mayar Sherif continued her dominant rise in the tennis world at the BBVA Open Internacional de Valencia in Spain, winning the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 title and leaping into the Top 35 world singles ranking for the first time.
This is also the tennis champion’s second consecutive WTA 125 title, having clinched the WTA 125 Makarska Open trophy in Croatia on 11 June.
Sherif enjoyed a winning streak throughout the tournament, eventually defeating Spain’s Marina Bassols Ribera 6-3, 6-3. With this victory, Sherif, now ranked 31st in the world, maintained her remarkable record in WTA 125 finals, extending it to 6-0.
“I came into this tournament with great momentum from Makarska, and I wanted to capitalize on it,” expressed Sherif after her dominant display. “Right from the beginning of the tournament, I felt very comfortable, and I believe that reflected in my straight-set victories throughout.”
With an astounding 9-place leap to 31st place in the singles world ranking, Sherif is now the highest-ranked Egyptian tennis player in history – surpassing the legendary Ismail El Shafei’s career-high of 34th place.
The Atlas Lionesses wrote a page in the history of Women’s football as they became the first Arab nation to play a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
Morocco’s Women National Football (MWNF) team has been making headlines as their popularity has grown since last year’s Wafcon (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations) final, in July 2022.
Hosted by Morocco, the Wafcon tournament marked the rise of the Atlas Lionesses as they became the first Arab nation to play a final for this tournament, when they faced off against South Africa.
As they prepare for this year’s 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, it is worthwhile to look back on the MWNF team’s great accomplishment last year and what it means for the rest of the world.
The Atlas Lionesses’ Eye-Catching Adventure At Wafcon 2022
With Football having been traditionally viewed as a men’s game in the region, the MWNF team captured the hearts and imagination of girls and women from the Arab region as they achieved a milestone at the 2022 Wafcon.
Although South Africa ended up winning the title, the Atlas Lionesses gained recognition for their impressive skills and outstanding performances, securing the 7th rank in Africa and the 72nd place in the FIFA global ranking.
Before reaching the final, the MWNF team had beaten Botswana and Nigeria in two spectacular football matches, allowing them to secure a ticket to participate in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
Impressing many football personalities, the team’s remarkable performance also saw the rise of a number of star players in the team as Ghizlane Chebbak, Fatima Tagnaout, and Zineb Redouani were listed among the “best eleven” by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In addition to that, Morocco’s captain Chebbak was named the best player of the 2022 Wafcon and received the “Woman of the Tournament” award following the match against South Africa.
Commenting on the Atlas Lionesses’ performance at last year’s Wafcon, MWNF coach Reynald Pedros expressed his eagerness to reach new heights with his team: “We will continue to work. This is just the beginning of a new adventure.”
Recognition by international media
Various local and regional news outlets put the spotlight on the MWNF team’s achievements, acknowledging their contribution to Morocco’s football development, alongside the Atlas Lions’ incredible performance at the last men’s World Cup.
For instance, International football’s governing body FIFA described the year of 2022 as “Morocco’s miracle year of continental and international success” and emphasized the women’s team’s role in paving the way for Moroccan football to become a leading global symbol.
For Africa News, women’s football may be at a turning point as its popularity is growing exponentially, proven by the attendance record of the final Wafcon match which counted around 50,000 supporters at the Prince Moulay-Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The article also acknowledged Morocco as “the first North African country to host the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in the 24-year history of the continental competition.”
Earlier this week, the Atlas Lionesses headed to Australia ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the only representative of the Middle East and North Africa region in this prestigious global tournament.
At only 14 years old, Egyptian athlete Hana Goda holds the number one rank in the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) U19 Girls’ Singles list for the first time.
Egyptian table tennis champion Hana Goda has cemented her legacy as the first person to hold the number one rank in the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) U19 Girls’ Singles list at only 14 years old.
After an exceptional performance at the 2022 ITTFA, the long-standing national champion and Africa Cup senior champion also stands at 43 in the International Table Tennis Federation’s Women’s Singles ranking worldwide.
Sibaha is the director of the “Atlas Lionesses: Hear Them Roar!” documentary that honored Morocco’s Women’s Football Team.
The Moroccan journalist Aziza Nait Sibaha has won the sixth “Fatima Bint Mubarak” Women Sports Award, crowning her as the Arab world’s “best sports journalist.”
Presented on September 17 in Abu Dhabi, the award is the region’s first of its kind aimed at empowering women and celebrating their sports achievements.
The “Fatima Bint Mubarak” Prize was awarded to different winners in several categories, including sports management, training, research, sports sponsorship, and women of determination.
The value of the prizes totaled AED 1,700,000 ($462,824).
Different trophies were awarded to nine competitors, individuals and teams, including Egypt’s Giana Farouk Mahmoud, who was named the “best Arab sportswoman,” and Shamma Yousef Al Kalbani, who won the “best Emirati athlete” award.
Egyptian Ahmed Gouda won the prize for the “best young athlete,” while his compatriot Rehab Ahmed Radwan was awarded the prize for the “best Paralympic athlete.”
The “best coach” award went to Faris Al-Assaf from Jordan, while the Jordanian Women’s Football Association took the award in the “ Youth Development Programs” category.
The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation won the award for “best team,” while the “Emirates International Endurance Village” earned the prize for “best innovative sports initiative.”
The celebrated Tunisian tennis player Ons Jaber won the award for “Sports Personality of the Year in the Arab World.”
In her speech at the award ceremony, the representative of Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Maryam Al-Mansouri, said that all categories of the award have seen strong competitiveness in recent months. This proves the talent, willingness, and ambition of Arab sportswomen, she stressed.
Al-Mansouri concluded: “We hope to see Arab women continue to take the lead in local and international sports events, and this award will contribute to the birth of new achievements in the Arab women’s sports career.”
In a remarkable feat, Saudi Arabia’s national team claimed a total of 19 medals at the recently concluded West Asian Table Tennis Championships in Jordan.
The wins were spread across the Saudi men’s and women’s teams and came in several different age categories.
The final tally was six gold, four silver and nine bronze.
Saudi Olympian Ali Khadrawi partnered Abdelaziz Bushulaibi to gold in the men’s doubles and there was also a first ever gold in the girl’s doubles under-11 category for Nihal Al-Qahtani and Fatima Al-Awami.
Three Saudi players — Khadrawi, Bushulaibi and Azzam Alem — qualified for the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships, to be held in South Africa, due to their performances in Jordan.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Saudi’s Ali Khadrawi (left) and Abdelaziz Bushulaibi top the podium in Jordan. (@sttf_ksa)
After a number of years of competing in various local autocross competitions, Afnan Almarglani recently became the first Saudi woman to hold an autocross and safe driving skills trainer license.
Her journey in the sport began when her motor sports-mad brother brought home a brand new PlayStation when they were growing up. The two competed in video games such as Gran Turismo 3, a racing title.
“From when I was young, I used to see my older brother Fahd interested in sports cars, modifying them and buying car parts from abroad. We used to race with each other in video games. I was so fascinated by cars, by the shape of the cars, the sound of engines and how they were driven incredibly fast. I played the game every day until it got to the point that I couldn’t beat my own fastest lap times,” she said.
Almarglani works in biomedical engineering. She previously took part in the first women’s race in Saudi Arabia during time off from her work at a project management office at the Ministry of Health.
Her blending of roles as a biomedical engineer and racer makes her unique, and her talent in both careers has allowed her to take opportunities that most women do not have.
Almarglani, who holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from a US university, told Arab News that her love and passion led her to work with sports cars, and that she chose to enter the field to gain experience.
“Alhamdulillah, we live in a great country with the decision to allow women to drive. So, I participated in the first women’s autocross championship and won second place in the qualifying round,” she added.
After her first foray into the sport, Almarglani took part in various local autocross championships held in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar. “After gaining experience and skills, I moved to a higher level in the autocross racing, which enabled me to take part in the Toyota Autocross Championship in Alkhobar, and I was able to win the best time in the women’s category.”
She also competed in the Speed Madness (Autocross) Championship in Riyadh’s Dirab Park, placing first.
The other biggest challenge for Almarglani is finding sponsorship opportunities. “Motor sports is an expensive sport and finding a sponsor is very difficult, so to maintain that training and to have a good team, and a good car, requires a lot of investment and you need both if you want to do well. The way to find sponsorship is through exposure and by winning races,” she said.
Almarglani is often asked how her parents feel about the dangers of her sport. She said: “Of course, at first, they were concerned about me, especially that motor sports has risks, so the level of safety in it is high, and it is expensive in terms of preparing the driver and the car. After I explained to my family all the means of protection and safety, and after they observed my passion and happiness after each race, they supported me and told me to continue, and they were always in the first ranks to encourage me.”
Recently, the official account of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, via Twitter, congratulated Almarglani for obtaining a training license.
Almarglani’s goal is to support every woman who wants to enter motor sports and to build a professional women’s motor sports team to represent Saudi Arabia in the world championships. “To achieve this goal, I hope there will be sponsorships offered to me as well as other Saudi female drivers in order to participate locally and regionally, to represent our beloved country.”
Egypt’s Nouran Gohar has ended compatriot Nour El Sherbini’s 17-month reign as the World No.1 after the PSA Women’s World Rankings for April were released today (April 1).
Gohar has been in sensational form throughout the 2021-22 season and has won the last four PSA World Tour Platinum events in a row, including the Windy City Open presented by the Walter Family and the CIB Black Ball Open last month.
Those wins have seen her leapfrog El Sherbini to claim the World No.1 spot for the second time in her career and for the first time since October 2020.
Hania El Hammamy and Amanda Sobhy stay at No.3 and No.4, respectively, while New Zealand’s Joelle King returns to the top five for the first time since May 2019 after reaching the semifinals of both the Windy City Open and Black Ball Open in March.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry moves down to No.6 ahead of Salma Hany at No.7, while Rowan Elaraby reaches a career-high ranking of No.8 after reaching her first Platinum semi at the Black Ball Open.
Women’s Top 10 – April 2022 / pix: pic: psaworldtour.com
Meanwhile, Georgina Kennedy rises to her career-high ranking of No.9 after achieving back-to-back quarter finals at the Windy City Open and Black Ball Open, the former seeing her reach the last eight of a Platinum event for the first time. France’s Camille Serme – who has been sidelined since September, 2021 due to a leg injury – completes the top 10.
USA’s Olivia Fiechter drops out of the top 10, while Belgium’s Nele Gilis rises a spot to a joint career-best No.12 ranking. India’s Joshna Chinappa is also on the move as she moves up to No.13, ahead of Tesni Evans at No.14 and Nadine Shahin who remains at No.15.
Nada Abbas rises five places to reach No.16, while Hollie Naughton drops down a spot to joint No.17 with Olivia Clyne. Emily Whitlock stays at No.19, while England’s Lucy Turmel moves up six spots to break into the top 20 for the first time. It’s the first time in over two years that there have been three Englishwoman have been ranked inside the top 20 at the same time.
Egypt’s Nour El-Sharkawy is the biggest mover on the women’s tour this month. The 18-year-old appeared at the Black Ball Open in March and enjoys a 186-place rise to a career-high No.147 ranking.
source/content: psaworldtour.com (edited)
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Nouran Gohar in action at the Allam British Open / pic: psaworldtour.com
