Lagos Open Tennis: Quadre fails 2nd round test

Oyinlomo Quadre failed in her bid to reach her quarterfinal target at the ongoing Lagos Open Tennis Championship following a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Ukrainian Valeriya Strakhova on Wednesday.

Playing against the third seed, the 14-year-old star prospect put up a courageous performance winning two games in the opening set where she remarkably hit some winners to the delight of the home crowd who rooted for her all through the match played on Court Four of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

In the second set, Strakhova, the right handed double backhand world number 288, could not establish a break in the first four games. It looked like the Nigerian underdog would stretch her a bit this time but she managed to get a break in the fifth game and from that point there was no way back for the Aces Tennis Club player as the European warped up the tie 6-3.

“I’m happy with my performance because I wanted a scoreline that won’t make me feel embarrassed. I know it is going to be very tough playing against her,” the wild card player said, adding she is looking up to the second week with the aim of improving on her second round showing.

In other women’s singles ties, fifth-seeded Nestja Kolar of Slovania defeated Merel Hoedt of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1 while Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia moved to the quarterfinals following a 6-3, 6-2 win over Zoe Kruger of South Africa. They are joined by Estelle Cascino of France and second seed Deniz Khazaniuk of Israel who all advanced at the expense of Claudia Coppola of Italy and Rosalie van der Hoek of the Netherlands.

In the men’s singles, the seeded players have a field day battling their way past the second round with second seeded Benjamin Lock of Zimbabwe leading the victory line following a 6-4 6-3 triumph over Aziz Ouakaa of Tunisia.

Brit Lloyd Glasspool, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and Ukrainian Danylo Kalenichenko, the third, fourth and fifth seeds all progressed with 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-0 wins over Skandar Mansour of Tunisia, Hugo Largo of Spain, and Arnaud Sewanou of Benin respectively.

Indian sixth seed, Niki Poonachia wriggled his way past the challenge of Alexis Klegou of Benin 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 while Aryan Goveas, the seventh seed from India, stopped Diego Matos of Brazil 6-3 retired. Jack Drapper of Britain proved the formbook right as the eight seed coasted to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Lance-Peirre Du Toit of South Africa.

The quarterfinals of the two-leg $100,000 prize-money tournament holds on Thursday.