Aruna Quadri was no match for qualifier Monday Olabiyi as all top eight seed advanced from the opening round of the Men’s Singles event at the 2015 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Lagos Open Tour.
The top seed was too hot for his Beninese opponent, whom he saw off in four straight games 11-6, 11-2, 11-1, 11-7 at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall.
There were also wins for the Nigerian trio of Boboye Oyeniyan, Ojo Onaolapo and Makamjuola Kazeem. Fifth seed Boboye overcame countryman Tobi Falana 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, Ojo held off a mid-match fightback by Egyptian Ahmed Mabrouk to seal a 11-5, 11-7, 14-16, 11-7, 12-10 win, while Makanjuola- seeded eighth in Lagos this year- needed six games to beat Benin’s Olouwachehoun Guiganfode 12-10, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 4-11, 11-5.
The Egyptian contingent of Omar Assar, Mohamed El-Beiali and Khalid Assar were always expected to offer stern competition and they did not disappoint.
Second seed Omar dominated Cameroon’s Prosper Ndikum Asaah 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8), Mohamed saw off home favourite Akeem Lasisi 11-2, 11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 15-13 and sixth-seed Khalid eliminated veteran Nigerian player Taofik Maya 11-5, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.
Portugal’s fourth seed Andre Silva beat Dijbouti’s Abdourazack Farah 11-2, 11-3, 11-8, 11-2 and another Portuguese Diogo Silva overcame Egypt’s Shady Magdy in five games 11-7, 11-1, 12-14, 11-7, 11-9.
Hammed Aseyinka topped his best-of-seven all-Nigerian duel with Gbenga Ajulo 10-12, 10-12, 11-3, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, as well as Nurudeen Hassan, who accounted for countryman David Fayele 14-16, 11-8, 12-10, 13-11, 4-11, 7-11, 11-7 in the two close contests of the opening round in the Men’s Singles.
Egypt’s Sayed Ramadan outlasted Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo 5-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7 in another close tie.
