Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola will play an exhibition match

By Femi Solaja

Top seed in the Men's Singles, Kamil Capkovic of Slovakia was bundled out of the Futures 2 of the on-going 2012 Governor's Cup Lagos Tennis Championship Thursday in the quarter-final stage.

His Women's Singles counterpart, Nina Bratchikova of Russia, however qualified for the semi finals of the ITF professional circuit to be played this morning at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

Capkovic was upset by number five seed, Spaniard Enrique Lopez-Perez, in straight sets of 6-3,6-3.

Perez will now face Kento Takeuch of Japan who defeated Alessandro Petrone of Italy in another straight sets of 6-3,6-3.

Italian Alessandro Bega beat Karim-Mohammed Karim of Egypt  6-1,2-6,6-3, while South African Ruan Roelofse beat Sherif Sabry 6-1,6-2.

In other Women's Singles fixtures, Dalila Jakupovic could not completed her game against top seed, Nina Bratchikova as she retired in the second set. The game ended in favour of Nina 6-0, 2-1 to set up a semi final match against Conny Perrin of Switzerland who beat  Margarita Lazareva in 6-2, 6-3.

South African Chanel Simmonds lost out in her match against Cristina Dinu of Romania in 3-6, 2-6. Dinu will face Tadeja Majeric of Slovakia in the semi final. Majeric beat Jia-Jing Lu in 6-3, 6-3 game.

Meanwhile, the Local Organising Committee, (LOC), is putting finishing touches to the arrangement for the final ceremony scheduled for Saturday.

The final of the women's singles will start at 1pm after which Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola will play a 15-minute exhibition match before the final of the Men's Singles.

The referee for the exhibition game is the Tournament Referee, Anton Rens from South Africa.
"We are planning to stage a final ceremony that will conform strictly to international acceptable standard," the Tournament Director, Prince Wale Oladunjoye explained Thursday.