Nigeria’s Enosoregbe, Emmanuel crash out of Lagos Gov’s Tennis Cup

The two surviving Nigerian players in the men’s singles of the ongoing 16th Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis (Futures 5) on Thursday edged out of the competition.

Clifford Enosoregbe, who had on Wednesday created an upset when he sent tournament’s number eight seed, Maciej Smola of Poland packing,  lost to Indian Sasi Kumar Mukund in a quarter-final match decided at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

Enosoregbe lost the first set 1-6, before he came back to win the second set 6-3, but lost the final set 2-6.

“I feel great playing to the quarter-finals of the first leg of the Governor’s Cup this year. This is an achievement I will carry on to the second leg coming up next week.

“What I need now is a little bit of rest after which I will begin my training for the second leg.

“Mukund was a good player who I learnt has been going round the world playing circuits, an opportunity that eludes many of us here in Nigeria despite the fact that we are equally good on court,” said Enosoregbe who entered the Governor’s Cup as a wildcard player.

Also, compatriot Sylvester Emmanuel was stopped by Egyptian Karim-Mohamed Maamoun in another quarter-final match which ended 2-6, 7-5, 1-6.

Emmanuel too had on Wednesday stunned many bookmakers when he defeated tournament’s number six, Klegou Alexis 6-7, 6-1, 7-6 (1) in a match which lasted  three hours and 15 minutes to book a place in the quarter-finals.

Christian Paul, it will be recalled, was the only Nigerian player who played in the quarter-final of the competition last year in Futures 3 before he crashed out.

Meanwhile, tournament’s number one seed, Spanish Enrique Lopez-Perez will face Maamoun, as Mukund battles with Gianni Mina of France in another semi-final clash today.

Top seed Valetini Grammatikopoulou of Greece confronts Conny Perrin of Switzerland also today in a women’s singles semi-final match, as Tadeja Majeric of Slovakia faces Deniz Khazaniuk of Israel in another battle for the final ticket.