Casablanca, Morocco – Reigning AAC Freshman of the Year Yassine Dlimi earned his first men’s professional title at the M15 Casablanca event on June 25th, becoming the first active player to do so. The Casablanca, Morocco, native dropped only three sets in route to his hometown event victory.
It made me super happy to win this tournament. I did not go in expecting such a good result, the atmosphere of my home club being there was incredible. There were a lot of people who supported me to be able to play at the top of my level and win this title. I hope it will be the first among many others and I am hungry for more.
Yassine DlimiIn the first round, Dlimi had a slow start, but found consistency in the second and third sets to defeat eighth-seeded Adam Moundir (3-6, 6-0, 6-2). Dlimi then collected his first straight set victory of the tournament, taking down Uruguayan Ignacio Carou (6-2, 6-4).
A quarterfinals matchup with Walid Ahouda of Morocco proved to be a tighter match, but Dlimi came out on top following a dominant third set (6-2, 2-6, 6-1). It was a statement win in the semifinal, as Dlimi defeated Spaniard Alejandro Manzanera Pertusa, ranked No. 247 in the ITF Singles rankings. The back-and-forth match propelled the Knight to the finals, thanks to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 result.
His second finals appearance of the summer going head-to-head with Jorge Martinez Martinez for the first time in his career. Dlimi and the Spaniard exchanged holds but the Knight persevered and emerged victorious in straight sets to bring home the title [7-5, 7-6(1)].
Dlimi had a dominating 2023 freshman season at UCF, collecting 11 wins for the Knights, playing the majority of the season on court three. Ending the regular season on a ten-match unbeaten streak, his performance garnered him both the AAC Freshman of the Year and All-Conference Singles honors. In junior competition, Dlimi collected two titles in the 2019 J5 Casablanca and 2021 J3 Cairo. With an ITF singles ranking of No. 432 as of June 26th, Dlimi will look to continue to grow under head coach John Roddick in the program's first season in the Big 12.
