MARRAKECH — In the annals of professional tennis, matches are remembered for epic comebacks, displays of sheer athletic brilliance, or monumental upsets. The first-round encounter at the 2024 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Marrakech between wildcard entrant Hajar Abdelkader and Italy's Lucia Bronzetti will be remembered for a very different, and statistically mind-boggling, reason. Abdelkader, a 20-year-old Moroccan ranked World No. 1,077, produced a serving performance of such staggering inefficiency that it has become an instant, if unfortunate, piece of tennis trivia.
Competing on home soil with a wildcard, Abdelkader managed to win just three points in the entire match during a 6-0, 6-0 (double bagel) defeat that lasted a mere 37 minutes. The scoreline, while brutally one-sided, does not begin to tell the full story. The defining feature of the contest was Abdelkader's complete inability to land a serve in play. She committed a total of 20 double faults across the 12 games played. Even more astonishing were her service percentages: she landed a meager 8.3% of her first serves, and a marginally "better" 9.1% of her second serves.
A Statistical Anomaly for the Record Books
To put these numbers into perspective, a typical professional match features a first-serve percentage ranging from 55% to 70%. A "bad" serving day might see that dip into the 40s. Abdelkader's figures are so far outside the norm they defy conventional analysis. The match statistics read like a misprint: Abdelkader won only 3 of the 65 total points contested. Her three points won came from a combination of Bronzetti's two unforced errors and a single winner from the Moroccan.
The Italian, ranked 56th in the world, was essentially tasked with the role of a passive observer. Bronzetti hit just two winners herself, needing only to keep the ball in play and wait for the inevitable service error from the other side of the net. The flow of the match was a repetitive cycle: Abdelkader would step to the line, fault twice, and the game would be over. Social media erupted with a mix of sympathy and disbelief as the live stats updated in real-time.
Tennis journalist José Morgado, posting on X (formerly Twitter), captured the surreal nature of the event, writing: "Hajar Abdelkader just got double bageled by Bronzetti in Marrakech. She served at 8% first serves in (2/24) and won 3 points in the entire match. 20 double faults. One of the most bizarre scorelines/stats you’ll ever see at WTA level. Just brutal."
The Context Behind the Collapse
While the numbers paint a picture of a player utterly out of her depth, the context is crucial. Hajar Abdelkader is not a seasoned tour professional. Her career has been spent almost entirely on the ITF circuit, with this match representing just her second-ever appearance in a WTA main draw. The jump in level, pressure, and occasion is monumental. Compounding this was the significant pressure of performing in front of a home crowd, with all the expectation that a wildcard brings.
The serving yips, a psychological block that can afflict even the greatest players, seemed to take complete hold. Each missed first serve would increase the tension, making the second serve—a shot requiring confidence and margin—feel like an impossible task. This created a vicious, inescapable feedback loop. Analysts and former players were quick to note the visible technical and mental struggle.
The key factors that likely contributed to such an extreme performance include:
- Overwhelming Stage & Pressure: The gulf in experience and ranking between the two players was cavernous. Facing a top-60 player on a center court as a wildcard is an immense psychological hurdle.
- Technical Breakdown Under Stress: Under the glare of the spotlight, a player's service motion can become stiff and disjointed. The toss becomes inconsistent, and the kinetic chain falls apart.
- The Snowball Effect: In tennis, errors can compound rapidly. After a few double faults, the task of simply landing a serve can become a mental mountain, overshadowing any other tactical thought.
Sportsmanship and the Aftermath
To her credit, Lucia Bronzetti handled the bizarre situation with professionalism and empathy. There were no celebrations, only a quiet, almost apologetic demeanor as she efficiently completed her task. In her post-match interview, the Italian was gracious, focusing on her own preparation rather than her opponent's struggle. "It’s never easy to play a match like this," Bronzetti said. "I was just trying to focus on my game and be ready for the next round. You have to respect every opponent and play every point."
For Abdelkader, the match will undoubtedly be a painful but profound learning experience. The tennis community's reaction, while stunned by the statistics, has largely been one of support rather than ridicule. Many have pointed out that simply earning a wildcard and having the courage to compete at that level is an achievement in itself. The hope is that she can take the experience, however brutal, and use it as fuel for development on the ITF circuit.
The WTA tour is a merciless proving ground where the chasm between the top 100 and players ranked outside the top 500 is vast. Matches like this, while extreme, occasionally highlight that gap in the most glaring way possible. They serve as a reminder of the immense pressure and technical precision required to compete at the sport's highest level.
A Unique Place in Tennis Lore
While double bagels (6-0, 6-0) are rare at tour level, they are not unheard of. What sets the Abdelkader-Bronzetti match apart is the manner of the defeat. Winning only three points in a full match is exceptionally rare. Coupling that with a first-serve percentage in the single digits and 20 double faults creates a statistical profile that is likely unique in the Open Era of professional tennis.
The match instantly drew comparisons to other infamous "bagel" matches and serving disasters, but its specific combination of metrics may stand alone. It will be cited for years to come in discussions about pressure, wildcard entries, and the psychological demons of the service motion. As tennis statistician encyclopedias were updated, this match earned its own peculiar footnote.
In conclusion, the 2024 Marrakech opener was less a tennis match and more a case study in athletic pressure. It was a harsh introduction to the WTA tour for Hajar Abdelkader, but also a testament to the relentless standard of the sport. For Lucia Bronzetti, it was a straightforward passage to the second round, albeit one achieved in the most surreal of circumstances. The match reminds us that behind every statistic is a human story—in this case, one of overwhelming pressure meeting the unforgiving arithmetic of elite sport.