Mayar Sherif on cloud nine as she becomes Egypt's highest-ranked player in tennis history

Mayar Sherif is in the form of her life. The Egyptian keeps racking up titles. After winning in Makarska, Croatia, the African No. 2 has done it again, taking the Valencia tournament, her 6th career title. She was flawless in the Spanish city. Seeded No. 1, Sherif did not drop a single set. The win has lifted her to the brink of the Top 30. That is a fine reward for the 27-year-old, who becomes the highest-ranked Egyptian of the Open era. She overtakes her compatriot Ismail El Shafei, who reached No. 34 in 1975.

"I was desperate to beat Ismail's record, and it was a goal I had in mind. It didn't just happen by coincidence. It feels good to break through a new barrier, it gives me a lot of confidence mentally and it's important to go into the grass-court season feeling this confident," exclaimed the Cairo native.

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If she holds this position, Mayar Sherif will be seeded at Wimbledon (3-16 July). Though she prefers clay, the Egyptian intends to make a good impression on the London grass. She says: "The last time I played on grass was two years ago and I enjoyed it. I didn't expect to enjoy it, and I went in with the mindset of 'Let's see how I feel'. But I think that if I had gone into Wimbledon qualifying two years ago with a winner's mindset, 'I can do this', I would probably have qualified. Unfortunately, I didn't. So this time, I'm going to go in with that winner's mindset because I really enjoyed it last time."