History made in Rabat: Nahimana becomes first Burundian to win WTA match

Sada Nahimana made history for Burundi on Tuesday at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, becoming the first player from her country to win a match in a WTA main draw after defeating Aya El Aouni 6-3, 6-2.

Two years ago in Rabat, Nahimana became the first Burundian to compete in a WTA main draw, but fell 6-0, 6-4 in the first round to Jana Fett. This year, the 24-year-old returned to the tournament in strong form, having won the first two ITF W50 tournaments of her career on home soil in Bujumbura in March.

Rabat: Draws | Scores | Order of play

No. 267-ranked Nahimana came through qualifying with wins over 2022 Wimbledon junior finalist Luca Udvardy and Carolina Alves. Against El Aouni, she was always in control, with her touch at net and on the drop shot proving key to her win. Nahimana's season record is now 21-6, and she'll face a Top 100 opponent for the first time in her career when she takes on No. 10 seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round.

El Aouni and fellow Moroccan wild card Yasmine Kabbaj fell short of making history of their own. Only three Moroccan players have won tour-level matches in the Open Era -- Habiba Ifrakh, Bahia Mouhtassine and Nadia Lalami -- and none since Lalami's run to the Fes quarterfinals in 2011.

Kabbaj came within a few games of ending the drought in a 2-hour, 48-minute barnburner against former US Open semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova. Displaying sweet touch on the drop shot and several ferocious forehand strikes, Kabbaj led by a set and 2-0 before the 35-year-old mother-of-one gradually reeled her in. Nonetheless, the contest went down to the wire, with Kabbaj pegging Sevastova back from an early break down in the decider; the Latvian needed all of her craft to edge over the line.

Both El Aouni and Kabbaj are currently college players in the U.S. system, Kabbaj at San Diego State and the 19-year-old El Aouni at the University of Central Florida.

Fifteen players have notched a first WTA main-draw win for their countries this century so far. They are are as follows:

• Sada Nahimana (Burundi), Rabat 2025 (d. Aya El Aouni 6-3, 6-2)
• Raluka Serban (Cyprus), Bogota 2025 (d. Nuria Parrizas Diaz 2-6, 6-4, 6-1)
• Elina Avanesyan (Armenia), Cincinnati 2024 (d. Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 7-5)
• Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (Andorra), Seoul 2022 (d. Chloe Paquet 6-2, 6-2)
• Alexandra Eala (Philippines), Cluj-Napoca 1 2021 (d. Paula Ormaechea 7-5, 6-2)
• Mayar Sherif (Egypt), Australian Open 2021 (d. Chloe Paquet 7-5, 7-5)
• Kathinka Von Deichmann (Liechtenstein), Lugano 2018 (d. Laura Siegemund 7-6(5), 3-2 ret.)
• Danka Kovinic (Montenegro), Budapest 2013 (d. Johanna Konta 6-2, 3-6, 6-2)
• Pemra Ozgen (Türkiye), Istanbul 2009 (d. Arantxa Rus 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2)
• Ksenia Palkina (Kyrgyzstan), Tashkent 2007 (d. Ekaterina Dzehalevich 6-2, 6-2)
• Neuza Silva (Portugal), Estoril 2004 (d. Julia Schruff 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(8))
• Mervana Jugic-Salkic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Hyderabad 2004 (d. Yan Zi 3-6, 6-4, 6-1)
• Habiba Ifrakh (Morocco), Casablanca 2001 (d. Kristie Boogert 4-6, 7-6(4), 5-5 ret.)
• Selima Sfar (Tunisia), Canberra 2001 (d. Yuka Yoshida 4-6, 7-5, 7-5)
• Irina Selyutina (Kazakhstan), Tokyo 2000 (d. Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-4)