Morocco were beaten 3–1 by Colombia in their Coupe Davis match in Casablanca, as the event returned to the city after 20 years.
The tie was played over the weekend at the USM Tennis Club and drew around 3,000 fans. Although Morocco lost, the team showed encouraging signs, especially through 18-year-old Reda Bennani.
Bennani, ranked 556th in the world, gave Morocco their only win on Saturday, beating Adrià Soriano Barrera in straight sets. He later put up a strong fight against Colombia’s Nicolás Mejía, ranked 177th, but lost in three sets.
Colombia sealed the tie on Sunday during the doubles match. Morocco’s Taha Baadi and Younes Lalami Laaroussi battled hard but were beaten by Nicolás Barrientos and Juan Sebastián Gómez, whose experience made the difference.
The match ended with some tension in the stands after heated moments on court, but the situation was brought under control.
Morocco were hoping to move back into World Group I under captain Hicham Arazi. While they did not reach that goal, the young squad showed promise for the future.
It was the first time Casablanca had hosted a Coupe Davis match since 2006.
