Andrew Rigby
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Lamine Ouahab, the seventh seed from Algeria, has reached the final of the Boys' Singles after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal-Parera in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
A Spain-Algeria match-up for a Wimbledon semi-final might sound a little out of the ordinary, but in reality no-one should be unduly surprised. Two of the more noticeable trends of the modern game are the increasing prevalance of baseliners who can win on all surfaces and the ever-growing list of nations that are producing world-class competitors.
Nadal-Parera was given a wild card into the event on the strength of his performance in the senior Tour-level event in his native Mallorca earlier this year, where he won a round. He had never even played a junior circuit event before, so his defeat today was in fact his first in junior competition. The Spaniard certainly looks to have a future in the game - he is just 16 and possesses a powerful left-handed serve and stinging groundstrokes on both wings. He is also a fiery competitor, and he underlined his potential with his run here after he beat the second seed, Brian Dabul, in the first round.
Today, however, he was defeated by the greater consistency of his 17-year-old opponent, who was born in Hussein-Dey in Algeria but now lives in Barcelona. An early break put Ouahab 2-1 up, and a second break secured the first set 6-3.
Nadal-Parera looked to be forcing his way back in to the match as he broke for 3-2 in the second set. The sizeable crowd on Court No. 9 seemed to be in for a final set of punishing baseline rallies but Ouahab broke back for 4-4. Visisbly lifted, he then went on to take the set and the match as Nadal-Parera netted a backhand on Ouahab's first match point.
Ouahab, who already represents Algeria in Davis Cup, will face Australia's Todd Reid in the final.
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