BY ADEYEMI ROBINSON-ADEFIOYE, LAGOS
The only Nigerian standing in the ongoing 2nd leg LAGOS OPEN TENNIS, BARAKAT OYINLOMO QUADRE was unable to survive the superior power of her Ukrainian opponent, STRAKHOVA VALERIYA in their quarter final match decided Friday afternoon at the LAGOS LAWN TENNIS CLUB, ONIKAN.
MORROCO-based QUADRE, who had on Thursday broken a record as the only Nigerian woman player to have qualified to the quarter final level of the ITF WORLD TOUR in Lagos, played a determined game against the Ukrainian. This earned her a 7-5 win in the first set; an early break that she failed to sustain and consolidate on.
STRAKHOVA, however, forcefully came back to take the game out of QUADRE as she won the remaining two set, 6-3, 6-1. The pulsating match lasted 2 hours 35 minutes.
In other quarter final results in the women’s singles, top seed MENDEZ SEONE from Austria lost 6-4, 0-6, 0-6 to 6th seed BHATIA RIYA.
The match lasted 1hour 45mins.
Tournament fifth seed, BHOSALE RUTUJA from India upset SAMIR SANDRA from Egypt, who is the tournament’s number 3 seed in straight set of 6-2, 6-0 to book a semi final ticket.
Brazilian LUARA PIGOZZI who was runner up in the final last week failed to make it to the semi final as she was defeated by NASTJA KOLAR from Slovenia in 2-6, 6-5, 5-7 game.
In the men’s singles, Zimbabwe’s TAKANYI GARANGANGA beat Frenchman Gianni Mina 6-0, 6-4.
CALVIN HEMERY from France defeated BENJAMIN LOCK in straight set of 6-3, 6-0 while Tunisian AZIZ QUAKAA defeated brother DOUGAZ 5-7, 6-4, 4-2.
Semi-final matches are scheduled for Saturday with the grand finale coming up on Sunday.
GOVERNOR BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU is expected to declare the competition closed.
