Karim Alami
Encyclopedia
Karim Alami (born May 24, 1973 in Casablanca
) is a tennis player from Morocco
, who turned professional in 1990. He represented his native country as a qualifier at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
, where he was defeated in the first round by Switzerland's eventual winner Marc Rosset
. The right-hander won two career titles in singles, both in 1996 (Atlanta
and Palermo
). He reached his highest singles ATP
-ranking on February 21, 2000, when he became World No. 25. Very impressively, he defeated Pete Sampras
in the first round of the 1994 Doha tournament
, a year in which Sampras dominated the tour. He is now the Tournament Director of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open
in Doha, Qatar. He also works as a tennis commentator for the most popular Arabic sports channel Al Jazeera Sports
.
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
) is a tennis player from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, who turned professional in 1990. He represented his native country as a qualifier at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, where he was defeated in the first round by Switzerland's eventual winner Marc Rosset
Marc Rosset
Marc Rosset is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland who is best remembered for winning the men's singles Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games....
. The right-hander won two career titles in singles, both in 1996 (Atlanta
Verizon Tennis Challenge
The Verizon Tennis Challenge is a defunct Grand Prix circuit and ATP Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1987 to 2001. It was held in Orlando, Florida in the United States from 1987 to 1991 and at the Atlanta Athletic Club in what is now Johns Creek, Georgia in the United States from 1992...
and Palermo
Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia
The Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia was a tennis tournament held annually in Palermo in Italy. Held from 1935 until 2006, the tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was a part of the ATP Tour schedule from 1979 to 2006.-Singles:-Doubles:...
). He reached his highest singles ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
-ranking on February 21, 2000, when he became World No. 25. Very impressively, he defeated Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
in the first round of the 1994 Doha tournament
1994 Qatar ExxonMobil Open - Singles
Stefan Edberg defeated Paul Haarhuis 6-3, 6-2 to win the 1994 Qatar Open singles competition. Boris Becker was the defending champion.-Seeds:...
, a year in which Sampras dominated the tour. He is now the Tournament Director of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Qatar ExxonMobil Open
The Qatar Open, currently known as the Qatar ExxonMobil Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour...
in Doha, Qatar. He also works as a tennis commentator for the most popular Arabic sports channel Al Jazeera Sports
Al Jazeera Sports
Al Jazeera Sports is a popular Arabic-language sports channel launched in November 2003 by the well-known Al Jazeera network.Al Jazeera Sports also owns the exclusive broadcasting rights in the Middle East for major football leagues, such as the Spanish La Liga, the French Ligue 1 and the Italian...
.
Wins (2)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | April 29, 1996 | Atlanta Verizon Tennis Challenge The Verizon Tennis Challenge is a defunct Grand Prix circuit and ATP Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1987 to 2001. It was held in Orlando, Florida in the United States from 1987 to 1991 and at the Atlanta Athletic Club in what is now Johns Creek, Georgia in the United States from 1992... , United States |
Clay |  Nicklas KultiNicklas Kulti Nicklas Kulti is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.Kulti was ranked the World No. 1 junior tennis player in 1989 after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon junior titles, and finishing runner-up at the US Open.In 1990, Kulti won his first top-level singles title at Adelaide... |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 2. | September 23, 1996 | Palermo Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia The Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia was a tennis tournament held annually in Palermo in Italy. Held from 1935 until 2006, the tournament was played on outdoor clay courts and was a part of the ATP Tour schedule from 1979 to 2006.-Singles:-Doubles:... , Italy |
Clay |  Adrian VoineaAdrian Voinea Adrian Voinea is a former Romanian tennis player who turned professional in 1993.The right-hander won one singles title . Voinea was born in Romania, but moved to Italy at age 15 because his older brother, Marian, was coaching there... |
7–5, 2–1, retired |
Runners-up (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | March 14, 1994 | Casablanca Grand Prix Hassan II The Grand Prix Hassan II is an annual tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series. The event is held annually at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco and is played on clay courts. Between 1986 and 1989 it was part of the Challenger... , Morocco |
Clay |  Renzo FurlanRenzo Furlan Renzo Furlan is a former tennis player from Italy.Having turned professional in 1988, Furlan represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the quarter finals by India's Leander Paes... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 2. | June 8, 1998 | Bologna ATP Bologna Outdoor The Bologna Outdoor is a defunct Grand Prix and ATP affiliated tennis tournament played from 1985 to 1998. It was held in Bologna in Italy and held on outdoor clay courts.-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:*... , Italy |
Clay |  Julián AlonsoJulian Alonso Julián Alonso Pintor is a retired tennis player from Catalonia, Spain, who turned professional in 1996 and retired five years later.... |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 3. | April 12, 1999 | Barcelona Torneo Godó The Barcelona Open also known as Torneo Godó, Trofeo Conde de Godó, Open Banco Sabadell, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held annually in Barcelona, Spain since 1953, and is played on clay courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit... , Spain |
Clay | Félix Mantilla Félix Mantilla Botella Félix Mantilla Botella is a former Spanish professional tennis player, born in Barcelona. In common with many of his fellow countrymen, Mantilla's best surface is clay. While not as successful away from the clay, Mantilla also produced good hardcourt results... |
7–62, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. | September 27, 1999 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Alberto Martín Alberto Martín ----Alberto Martín Magret is a retired tennis player from Spain. He turned professional in 1995.Martin's best Grand Slam performance was reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros in 2006. En route to this performance, Martín's first round win was his first victory over former World number 1 Andy... |
6–2, 6–3 |
Wins (1)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | September 8, 1997 | Marbella Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana The Valencia Open 500, formerly known as Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, is a professional tennis tournament played in Valencia, Spain. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament was first played in Valencia in 1995 before moving to Marbella, Spain for... , Spain |
Clay | Julián Alonso Julian Alonso Julián Alonso Pintor is a retired tennis player from Catalonia, Spain, who turned professional in 1996 and retired five years later.... |
Alberto Berasategui Alberto Berasategui Alberto Berasategui is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1994.... Jordi BurilloJordi Burillo Jordi Burillo Puig is a retired professional tennis player from Spain. He won one singles title and a doubles title on the ATP Tour in his career... |
4–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
Runners-up (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | June 17, 1996 | Bologna ATP Bologna Outdoor The Bologna Outdoor is a defunct Grand Prix and ATP affiliated tennis tournament played from 1985 to 1998. It was held in Bologna in Italy and held on outdoor clay courts.-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:*... , Italy |
Clay |  Gábor KövesGábor Köves Gábor Köves is a retired Hungarian Olympian tennis player. Seoul gold medalists Ken Flach and Robert Seguso stopped him and partner László Markovits in the second round in the 1988 Summer Olympics.-Doubles :... |
 Brent HaygarthBrent Haygarth Brent Haygarth , is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 6 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 6 times. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No... Christo van RensburgChristo Van Rensburg Christo van Rensburg is a former professional tennis player from South Africa.Van Rensburg turned professional in 1983... |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 2. | March 24, 1997 | Casablanca Grand Prix Hassan II The Grand Prix Hassan II is an annual tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series. The event is held annually at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco and is played on clay courts. Between 1986 and 1989 it was part of the Challenger... , Morocco |
Clay |  Hicham AraziHicham Arazi Hicham Arazi is a male tennis player from Morocco. He played professionally from 1993 to the end of the 2007. The left-hander reached his highest singles ranking in the ATP Tour on November 5, 2001, when he reached number 22 in the world. During his career, Arazi captured one singles title, in... |
 João Cunha e Silva Nuno MarquesNuno Marques Nuno Miguel Bacelar de Vasconcelos Marques is a former Portuguese tennis player. He was the first Portuguese to reach the top 100 ATP rankings and held the record of highest ranked Portuguese player in history until Frederico Gil surpassed him in 2009... |
7–6, 6–2 |
| 3. | October 27, 1997 | Bogotá ATP Bogotá The Bancolombia Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour... , Colombia |
Clay |  Maurice RuahMaurice Ruah Maurice Ruah , is a former professional tennis player from Venezuela. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 82 in 1994.... |
 Luis LoboLuis Lobo Luis Lobo is a professional male tennis player from Argentina, who won the gold medal in the men's doubles competition at the 1995 Pan American Games....  Fernando MeligeniFernando Meligeni Fernando Ariel Meligeni , nicknamed Fininho is a former professional tennis player from Brazil.... |
6–1, 6–3 |