Historic Victory: World No. 731 Bennani and No. 587 Baadi Spark Moroccan Tennis Renaissance in Marrakech
At just 18 years old, Bennani has made history as the youngest Moroccan to triumph in an ATP Tour match.
March 30, 2026
Grand Prix Hassan II
Karim Bennani, 18, sets a new milestone as Morocco’s youngest ATP Tour winner.
By ATP Staff
After an agonizing eight-year wait for an ATP Tour victory, Morocco welcomed not one but two champions on a triumphant Monday at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.
Local wildcards Karim Bennani and Taha Baadi brought a wave of excitement to Moroccan tennis, both achieving their first-ever ATP Tour victories on the clay courts of this prestigious ATP 250 event. Bennani’s standout performance saw him overcome Quentin Halys with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2, marking his debut tour-level match beyond the Davis Cup, following Baadi’s impressive defeat of Aleksandar Vukic at 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
An unforgettable moment! 😤
Witness another wild card surprise in Marrakech as Bennani takes down Halys with flair 👏#GrandPrixHassanII pic.twitter.com/UxQSfMgLM2
— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 30, 2026
In his post-match interview, Bennani, currently ranked World No. 731, expressed his disbelief: “I can hardly put into words what just happened. Huge thanks to the incredible Moroccan crowd, my coaches, and my family… I’m overwhelmed with joy over this win.”
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Baadi kicked off Monday’s matches by becoming the first Moroccan to secure an ATP Tour victory since 2018. His triumph propelled him up 109 spots to No. 478 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Shortly after, Bennani made headlines of his own, etching his name into history as the youngest Moroccan man to conquer a tour-level match.
Both athletes are now gearing up for the second round, with Baadi poised to face third seed Corentin Moutet in their inaugural Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, while Bennani will challenge either Jesper de Jong or Yannick Hanfmann.
Adding to the excitement, Bennani’s older brother, 19-year-old Reda Bennani — one of the three Moroccan wildcards in the tournament — is set to clash with Mattia Bellucci on Tuesday, providing the Marrakech audience with another thrilling narrative to support.
