Africa’s highest ranked player, Opeyori suffers upset at Lagos Int’l Badminton Classics
A major upset was recorded in Day 3 of the ongoing Lagos International Badminton Classics as Africa’s number one player, Anuoluwapo Opeyori of Nigeria failed to qualify for the semi-final of the biggest badminton championship in the continent.
Opeyori who was ‘Team Nigeria’ Captain at the just concluded Paris 2024 Olympics and ranked 103 in the world, lost to India’s Samarveer ranked 362 in two straight games of 21-14, 21-12, thereby stopping his impressive performance at the competition as well as suffering a back-to-back exit at the quarter-finals in Men Singles of the championship after doing so in 2023.
Speaking to newstap .com.ng shortly after the energy soaking encounter, Anuoluwapo blamed fatigue and sickness for his poor performance with an appeal to Nigerians to understand his predicament.
” I’m really tired, weak, exhausted and ill going into the quarter-finals. You know it was not easy coming back from the Olympics and participating in the Classics and I just hope Nigerians will understand my predicament”, he stressed
Opeyori who only registered for the singles event stated that although he has exited the championship, he’s grateful to the Badminton Federation of Nigeria for the Classics which is in it’s seventh edition.
The championship currently going on at the Molade Okoya Thomas Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun stadium, Surulere, Lagos ends on Saturday, August, 31, 2024.
