CBN Tennis: Oyinlomo Quadri Upsets Top Seed Blessing Samuel

CBN Tennis: Oyinlomo Quadri Upsets Top Seed Blessing Samuel

Upcoming junior tennis sensation, Oyinlomo Quardri Thursday created a major upset at the on-going 41st Central Bank of Nigeria Open Senior Tennis Championship when she defeated tournament top seed, Blessing Samuel 2-0 ( 6-1, 6-1) in their quarter- final clash to book a semi-final ticket.
Unseeded Oyinlomo who entered the tournament through a wild card granted her by the Nigeria Tennis Federation, kept no one in doubt about her mission in this year’s tournament.

She defeated Number 3 seed, Airhunwunde Osariemen 6-0, 6-0 in one of the second round matches to come face to face with the Number 1 seed Blessing Samuel whom she equally sent to the cleaners.

Having proved bookmakers wrong, Oyinlomo said she wasn’t surprised beating the top players having defeated her at the National Sports Festival held in December 2018 in Abuja.

With the top seed out of the way, 16-year old Oyinlomo said she now has her eyes fixed on the CBN trophy plus the N.7million star prize money but hopes to take the rest games one at a time.

Women seed 2, Christy Agugbom did not disappointed her fans as she recorded a two straight win of 6-1, 6-3, over another junior player, Omolayo Bamidele in their quarter final match up to move into today’s semi-final.

Also Blessing Anuna beat Bukola Olowu 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to also move on.

Aanu Aiyegbusi outplayed Jumai Mohammed 6-2, 6-3 in another quarter final encounter to also claim a semi-final ticket.

According to the fixtures, giant killer, Oyinlomo Quardri will face Blessing Anuna in the first women singles semi-finals while Number 2 seed, Christy Agugbom battles Aanu Aiyegbusi in the second semis which promises to be a titanic battle between the two top players in the country.

In the men’s singles category, top seed and defending champion, Sylvester Emmanuel, defeated Oche Adeyi, 7-5, 6-0 to cruise into the quarter-finals and same goes to tournament seed 2, Imeh Joseph who beat Christian Paul 6-2, 6-3. to move into the last 8 as well.

Six times winner, Abdulmumuni Babalola beat Joseph Iyorhe 6-2, 6-3. Nonso Madueke outclassed Idoko Emmanuel 6-3, 6-1 while Thomas Otu stopped Albert Bikom 7-5, 6-3, as old warhorse, Shehu Lawal dropped Uche Oparaoji, 6-2, 6-3.

The men’s singles quarter-finals and semi finals will be played today while the men’s and women’s doubles finals as well as the wheelchair events finals also comes up today ahead of Saturday’s grand finale which holds at the package ‘B’ of the MKO Stadium, former National Stadium Abuja.

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