NEW YORK — Columbia women’s tennis first-year Malak El Allami won the US Open Junior Doubles Championship with partner Emily Sartz-Lunde (University of Michigan/Norway) after a thrilling 6-2, 4-6 [10-6] victory over the pair of Julia Stusek (Germany) and Julie Pastikova (Czechia) Saturday afternoon.
El Allami is the first player in program history and the first Moroccan to win a major tournament.
“I want to thank Emily for playing with me,” El Allami said. “It was great to share the court with her. Thank you to my family, my federation for all the efforts put in (to getting me to this event). I want to thank everyone from Morocco, who has supported me, and also my (Columbia) team, who is here. I’m super excited to be a part of your team. Go Lions!”
After coasting to a first-set victory, El Allami and Sartz-Lunde fell in the second, 4-6, to force a 10-point tiebreak to determine the championship. With the score tied at 5-5, El Allami and Sartz-Lunde rattled off four consecutive points and finished things off with a backhand winner.
El Allami and Sartz-Lunde had a challenging road throughout the tournament. They needed some version of a tiebreak in the first three rounds to reach the semifinals. Once they got there, the duo picked up a straight-set (6-3, 6-4) win on Friday to set up the championship match.
The native of Casablanca, Morocco, also competed in the junior singles bracket, where she advanced to the second round before doubles play began. She is no stranger to grand slam events, having competed at the 2023 Australian Open and Roland Garros and Wimbledon the past two years.
The Lions kick off their fall collegiate season next weekend when they host the Columbia Invitational from September 13 to 15 at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Tennis Center.
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