by Wade Townsend
Assar chases dominance
The top half of the Men’s Singles is a matchup of surprise semi-finalists. All local hopes rest on Bode Abiodun. Yesterday the Nigerian took down compatriot and No.1 seed Quadri Aruna. The crowd will be behind their final man standing in the Men’s Singles event. He will face Indian qualifier Sarthak Gandhi, who hasn’t looked like slowing down since the event got underway.
In the opposite half of the draw, Hungary’s Marton Szita will be pleased with his performance so far in Lagos. He was the No.13 seed coming in to the event, and has exceeded expectations to make the semi-final. But with a title on the horizon, he won’t want to stop short of the top prize. He certainly will be tested in his next match, when he faces Omar Assar. There is a lot on the line for Egyptian on the final day of play in Lagos. The No.2 seed will be looking to take the title, and possibly leapfrog Aruna Quadri in the World Rankings to establish himself as Africa’s leading player. He was tested yesterday against France’s Antoine Hachard, but survived. Now as the biggest name left in the men’s draw, the pressure will be building.
Perfection in Lagos
Egypt’s Dina Meshref and Russia’s Olga Kulikova are looking to be the players in form heading in to the final day of play in Lagos. Both are in to the semi-final of the Women’s Singles without dropping a game. Continental hopes rest on Meshref, who will have a tough test as she faces No.2 seed Szandra Pergel from Hungary. Meanwhile Kulikova will be looking to keep her Lagos luck rolling as she faces Ukraine’s Ganna Farladanska in an all European clash.
Doubles titles to be decided
Top seeds Antoine Hachard and Gregoire Jean of France have progressed to the final of the Men’s Doubles with some minor hiccups, but are still looking favourites heading in to the final day of play. They will face Romanian duo Alexandru Cazacu and Rares Sipos. Meanwhile in the Women’s Singles Egypt’s Yousra Helmy and Dina Meshref face Hungary’s Bernadett Balint and Szandra Pergel. The top two seeds have kept to the script and made it to the final, although both had a five game scare in the previous round. Pergel and Meshref are also facing each other in the Women’s Singles semi-final, so they will certainly be familiar with each other’s play by the end of the day.
Be sure to watch the matches live on itTV.
