Moroccan tennis player Reda Bennani was eliminated in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon’s junior tournament, held in London, UK, on Wednesday by the Spanish player Rafael Jodar.
Bennani age 17, ranked 14th, lost to Jodar in three sets (1-6, 6-3, 3-6) after playing for almost an hour and 40 minutes.
The young Moroccan player advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Britain’s Oliver Bonding in three sets (6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (10-6) on Monday. Jodar had qualified by beating South Korea’s Donghyun Hwang in straight sets (6-4, 1-6, 6-2).
The tennis prodigy became the first Moroccan competitor to secure a victory at Wimbledon since Mehdi Ziadi did in 2004. He is now the fifth Moroccan junior player in history to claim a victory at the Grand Slam tournament.
Earlier this year, Bennani successfully advanced to the Round of 16 in both the men’s individual and doubles events at the Roland Garros Junior Championships, in France. He is currently ranked 17th in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour rankings for boys.