Marčinko wins first WTA title in Morocco

Petra Marčinko, 20, captured her first WTA title after Anhelina Kalinina was forced to retire during the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Rabat.

Marčinko, who entered the event ranked No. 76 in the world and seeded sixth, made a strong start to her maiden final at tour level, breaking the 84th-ranked Ukrainian three times in a dominant opening set.

After dropping the first set, Kalinina required medical attention for blisters on her right foot.

When play resumed, Marčinko maintained her momentum, immediately breaking the former world No. 25 at the start of the second set. With the Croatian leading 6–2, 3–0, Kalinina was ultimately unable to continue and retired from the match.

The victory marks a major milestone in the young Croatian’s career, following a productive spell on the ITF circuit between 2022 and 2025, during which she won 12 titles. Although her ranking has been high enough to gain entry into most main-draw events in 2026, she had previously struggled to make a deep run at WTA level.

Coming into Rabat, Marčinko had never progressed beyond a WTA quarterfinal. That changed in Morocco, where she defeated Vera Zvonareva, Yelyzaveta Kotliar, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Jil Teichmann, and Kalinina on her way to the trophy.

Earlier this year, the Croatian reached a career-high ranking of No. 69. Following her triumph in Rabat, she is set to climb further, with a projected rise to No. 51 in the WTA rankings on Monday.