Foot Fault!

Yesterday Nadia Lalami became the first Moroccan female player to ever reach the quarterfinals of a tour event when she fought past top-seeded and 24th-ranked Aravane Rezai 2-6 7-5(5) 6-4.

I’ve been following this girl since Fes last year, and she looks like Ana, plays like her and managed to choke like her too – collapsing from *5-1 up in set two and *5-2 in set three. However, her resilience was so impressive. Most players would have given up both sets from that point, but she dug in so deep and was the deserved winner.

Regardless of what happens from now, it will be really interesting to see how she fares in her next tournaments. With her big forehand, strong serve and good movement, I’m sure this won’t be a one-off fluke result.

But for now, she is probably the happiest woman in the world. And she deserves it.