Safwat heads to final in An-Ning Challenger

CAIRO – 28 April 2018: Egyptian tennis player Mohamed Safwat, 27, qualified to the finals on Saturday in the An-Ning Challenger tournament in China. He will play against Indian tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran on Sunday.

Safwat defeated Australian player Jordan Thompson in the semi-finals two sets to one (2-6, 6-4, 6-3). Meanwhile, Gunneswaran kicked out Polish player Kamil Majchrak by winning two sets to one (6-0, 3-6, 1-6).

The Egyptian has been a regular player in the Davis Cup tournament since 2009. He is Egypt’s No. 1 player and the second best Arab player after Malek Jaziri from Tunsia.

Safwat is the first Egyptian to reach the final in a Challenger tournament since 1976. He reached the semi-finals but lost to Mitchell Krueger two sets to one in the 2017 Challenger tournament.

The 27-year-old’s best rank in singles was 187 in March 2014; his current ranking is 229. In the doubles, his best ranking was 225 in September 2016; he’s currently ranked 473, according to ATP World Tour website.

The An-Ning Challenger tournament began on Saturday, April 21 and will end on April 29.