Sports
SYLVANUS Ayang and Musa Mohammed on Thursday in Abuja continued with their respective fairytale runs at the ongoing DavNotch Senior Tennis Championships by advancing to the quarter-finals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ajang had on Wednesday caused the tournament’s biggest upset after he took out Nigeria’s number one, Uche Oparaoji, in the round of 32.
Ajang, currently number 17 in the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) rankings, defeated Oparaoji, who is also the number one seed at the championship, in two straight sets.
The top seed, who was playing his first match of the tournament after winning the 4th Vemp Tennis Championship in Abuja, fell 4-6 5-7(13) to the unseeded Ayang.
Ajang, continued from where he left off on Wednesday by sending packing number 14-ranked player Shehu Lawal on Thursday, forcing him to retire at 5-0.
Lawal had to call for a medical timeout towards the end of the first set as he experienced some difficulty in his movement.
However, this did little or nothing to help his situation as he was forced to retire due to a thigh muscle strain.
The result meant Ajang progressed seamlessly to the quarter-finals where he will next face tournament qualifier Musa Mohammed.
Mohammed had also caused an upset in the round of 16, after he defeated number seven seed Ilechukwu Iloputa 7-5 7-6 (8) at the end of a pulsating encounter on Thursday.
The result meant that Mohammed set up a mouth-watering quarter-final encounter with Ajang on Friday.
Results from other men’s singles fixtures played on Thursday show number three seed David Ekpeyong thrashing number five seed Nonso Maduekwe 6-1 2-0 (retired) in the quarter-finals.
The result meant Ekpeyong set up a semi-final encounter with number two seed Henry Atseye who earlier came back from a set down to defeat number six seed Philip Abayomi 4-6 7-6 (6) 7-5 in a quarter-final encounter.
In the women’s singles event, number one seed Marylove Edwards continued with her ruthless form.
She dispatched number five seed Toyin Asogba 6-1 6-2 to book a semi-final meeting with tournament qualifier Azeez Akingbade.
Giant-killer Akingbade who has also been on a fairytale run in the tournament claimed another big scalp on Thursday, knocking out number eight seed Bunmi Are 6-0 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
Also, number six seed Omotayo Bamidele booked a semi-final berth with seventh seed Blessing Omotayo after she overpowered Patience Ogedengbe 7-5 2-0 (rtd) in the quarter-finals.
Omotayo also caused an upset as she defeated number two seed Aanu Aiyegbusi 7-6 (6) 6-2 to earn a well-deserved spot in the semi-finals.
The third edition of the DavNotch Senior Open Championships which began on Monday will end on Saturday.(NAN)
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Tags: DavNotch Tennis Open Musa Mohammed Nigeria Tennis Federation Shehu Lawal Sylvanus Ayang Uche Oparaoji
