16th October, 2013
The last four Nigerians crashed out on Wednesday in the second round of the men’s category of the ongoing Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championships.
Hiroki Kondo of Japan, seeded one and ranked at 276 by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), beat unseeded Clifford Enoseregbe, who lost in two straight sets of 6-3, 6-3.
“I played my best. It was good enough, though, my strategy did not work out the way I planned it to be. My opponent is also a baseline player like myself, although I tried to outsmart him by playing close to the net.
“But unfortunately for me, he read my game and worked against it,’’ he said.
Unseeded Nigeria’s Sani Adamu was showed off the court as he also lost to India’s Jeevan Neduchezhiyan seeded three, who won 6-2, 6-3, to proceed to the quarter final.
Unseeded Christian Paul, also suffered a similar fate in the hands of Croatia’s Borna Coric, seeded six and lost 6-0, 6-0.
Joseph Ubon, another young and unseeded player, lost his second game in a marathon rally which ran for about two hours to a more experienced Mithun Murali of India, in three sets of 6-4, 4-6 and 6-0.
In the female category, a major upset was created as unseeded Giola Barbieri of Italy defeated Russia’s Nina Bratchikova, seeded two, 6-4, 6-2, to qualify for the quarter final.
India’s unseeded Prarthana Thombare showed off Czech Republic’s Eva Birnerova, who is seeded three, to qualify.
Great Britain’s Naomi Broady, seeded seven, defeated an unseeded Zarah Razafimahatratra, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in a marathon rally to get a win in three sets.
Other results included: Chanel Simmonds of South Africa, seeded four, who defeated unseeded Michaela Frlicka of Germany, 6-1, 6-1, while Romania’s Cristina Dinu, seeded five, beat an unseeded Germany’s Jasmin Steinherr, 6-1, 6-4.
Number one seed, Tadeja Majeric of Slovikia defeated an unseeded Margaritha Lazreva of Russia, 6-3, 6-2.
The First leg of the 2-week tournament will end on 19 October.