Magical moments from Morocco's history

The ride is over for Lamine Ouahab at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.

The Moroccan lost his second-round match to Nikoloz Basilashvili on Thursday in three sets. Still, the world No. 617 can leave with his head held up after causing one of the biggest upsets on the ATP World Tour in years by defeating world No. 34 Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets.

Over the course of its history, the clay-court tournament has been the site of some memorable occasions for players and fans alike. Here’s a look at some of them.

Hometown Heroes

From 1993 to 2003, the home fans had reason to celebrate as a Moroccan played in five finals over that stretch. Younes El Aynaoui and Hicham Arazi won titles there, while Karim Alami reached the championship match.

Muster on the Mend

After suffering a devastating knee injury in 1989 before the Miami final, Thomas Muster rebounded the next year. His title in 1990 at the Grand Prix Hassan II was his first on clay in almost two years and kicked off a near-decade of dominance on the dirt.

Coric Shows NextGen Flair

It’s evident that Borna Coric has an affinity for the Marrakech tournament. A finalist in 2016, the young Croat won the title in 2017 against Kohlschreiber, staving off five match points in the process.

The Mosquito Returns to the Winner's Circle

Juan Carlos Ferrero went through a dip in form and struggles with injury that saw him endure a nearly six-year title-winning drought. That dubious streak finally came to an end when he in Morocco in 2009 when he beat Florent Serra in the final.

“Pico” Performance

While Mariano Puerta, who won the Grand Prix Hassan II in 2005, would go on to reach the French Open final that year, his young opponent and countryman would have a distinguished career of his own. Twenty-year-old Juan Monaco of Argentina reached his first career final in Monaco, the first significant step in his ascent through the rankings.

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