She advances to a second-round meeting with Mandy Minella, who got past Alexandra Panova 6-3, 7-6 (12-10). The straight-set match took more than 2 hours. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner made quick work of fourth-seeded Yanina Wickmayer. Mayr-Achleitner cashed in 5-of-6 break-point chances in winning 6-4, 6-2.

The competition is also serving as the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympic Games, the only competition left for Nigeria after the Super Eagles and Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup and the London Olympics respectively.

Desperate to pick a ticket for the Olympics and redeem the image of the country, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF virtually emptied into Morocco, taking along some State FA chairmen, claiming they want to provide maximum support for the Austin Eguavoen-tutored side.

The side which showed signs of lack of co-ordination following the quick assemblage of the players after the key players were refused participation by their European clubs, fell to the antics of a Moroccan player who earned a penalty after a soft tackle in the Nigerian box and Abdulaziz Barrada converted the kick on 27 minutes.

The result now puts more pressure on Eguavoen who had admitted so even before kick off saying, “I’m under severe pressure but I have been under pressure before and I’ve been able to deal with it,” as he will face a much more stronger Senegalese team in their second match on Tuesday.

The loss will also be disappointing to the NFF which had promised the team a mouth-watering incentive if they beat the Moroccans and brighten their chances of qualifying for the Olympics. This is so because the Olympics is the only competition the federation is banking on to save face after a series of losses the country’s football teams have recorded since the Aminu Maigari-led Board controversially took over the administration of football following the ouster of the equally controversial Sani Lulu-led Board.

The first three teams in the competition qualify automatically while the fourth team will engage in a play-off with teams from other continents for a fourth ticket.

Australia’s Olivia Rogowska has been crushed 6-0 6-4 by seventh seeded Czech Iveta Besenova in the opening round of the WTA event in Morocco.

Besenova continued her confident start to the clay-court season, having reached the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Ladies Open earlier this month.

She broke Rogowska’s serve five times, and saved five of the six break points she faced.

RABAT — Former Marseille coach Eric Gerets is poised to become the new manager of the Morocco national team.

“Mr Gerets is on the verge of signing a contract with Morocco to become their new coach,” a well placed Moroccan football source told AFP on Tuesday.

The post has been vacant since the sacking of Frenchman Roger Lemerre last year.

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The announcement was made in Casablanca during the signing ceremony of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding, on Wednesday, between Morocco’s Youth ministry, The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM).

The U-17 African Youth Games will bring together 1200 African athletes representing 53 national Olympic committees in Africa to compete in 14 individual and team sports.