King Aruna!
Men’s Singles: Final
Winner last year, once again it is the host nation’s very own Quadri Aruna who has come away with the men’s singles crown in Lagos with a 4-2 victory over Austria’s Robert Gardos.
There was very little between the two finalists in the opening game but it was Aruna who struck first and the Nigerian doubled his lead soon after with a convincing performance in game two. Gardos gave it his all to try and bridge the gap, winning two of the following three games. However, it wasn’t enough as top seed Aruna stormed to victory in game six, sending the home crowd into rapturous applause (15-13, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-1).
Comeback delight for Polina Mikhailova
Women’s Singles: Final
Polina Mikhailova has come out on top in a thrilling end-to-end women’s singles final, beating fellow Russian competitor Yana Noskova.
In a topsy-turvy affair it was Noskova who established what looked to be an unassailable lead, winning the opening three games by five point margins. However, Mikhailova responded well with back-to-back game successes before going on to win game six 15-13. Noskova held a total of three match point opportunities in the deciding game but couldn’t convert her advantage as Mikhailova showed great fighting spirit to complete comeback (6-11, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 15-13, 15-13).
European pair storm to victory
Men’s Doubles: Final
The men’s doubles title will be presented to the mixed association combination of Belgium’s Cedric Nuytinck and France’s Quentin Robinot after the European duo delivered a blistering display to beat Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Segun Toriola.
Only three games were required to settle the contest as Nuytinck and Robinot broke host nation hearts, restricting Omotayo and Toriola to a silver medal finish (11-7, 11-9, 12-10).
Top seeds cling on to lift trophy
Women’s Doubles: Final
Russia’s Polina Mikhailova and Yana Noskova have successfully clinched women’s doubles gold in Lagos but only just, holding off a late comeback attempt from Croatian opponents Ida Jazbec and Ivana Malobabic.
2-0 up on the scoreboard but top seed Mikhailova and Noskova lost out in game three and failed to capitalise on a 10-6 lead in game four as Jazbec and Malobabic took the match into a decider. Once again Mikhailova and Noskova found themselves 10-6 in front but this time the Russian duo took full advantage, dropping just one further point to secure the title (11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-13, 11-7).
Gardos wins epic
Men’s Singles: Semi-finals
Fans who turned up for the match between Austria’s veteran Robert Gardos and Belgian Cedric Nuytinck were in for a feast as the two Europeans were involved in a fast-paced semi-final.
Gardos started exceptionally well with an 11-3 win, but could not stop Nuytinck as he hit back with two back-to-back games. The Austrian won the next three games to make the stadium stand in ovation of both players’ quality showing (11-3, 7-11, 8-11, 15-13, 13-11, 11-9).
Gardos will now face Nigeria’s hope Quadri Aruna in the final.
Akula unable to breach Russian hurdle
Women’s Singles: Semi-finals
It was an intense semi-final here at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, as India’s Sreeja Akula gave it her all against Russian Polina Mikhailova.
Despite starting slow, Akula was pumped up by winning the third game of the match, propelling her into a dizzy run of powerful shots and long rallies. Mikhailova, seeing this, bade her time and strategically placed her returns to defeat Akula, and made it an all-Russian final later today (11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9).
Imperious Aruna makes final
Men’s Singles: Semi-finals
Crowd favorite Quadri Aruna looks to be in a conquering mood as he glided past Indian Soumyajit Ghosh in a 4-1 victory.
The Nigerian is on course to celebrating his 31st birthday two days late with his sights firmly set on the Gold. Ghosh’s efforts were admirable as he won the fourth game from behind, but it was in vain as he was firmly caught in a storm-like performance by Aruna (11-8, 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4).
Classic Euro battle kicks off final day
Women’s Singles: Semi-finals
A European domestic started off the final day of the 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Nigeria Open in Lagos, as Russian Yana Noskova came out on top versus Italian Debora Vivarelli.
Pace and patience were the biggest weapons in Noskova’s arsenal as she sped through the first two games in 11 minutes. Vivarelli pushed back with a strong response by winning two straight games, but it just about fell short as the Russian capitalized on her forehand errors to claim a spot in the final (12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9).
Knockout stages continue
Look below for the day’s fixture schedule and make sure to watch along live with itTV:
