By Aderonke Ojo
Top-seeded players at the ongoing 9th Lagos International Badminton Classics have secured places in the quarter-finals of the women’s singles, with No. 2 seed Disha Gupta of the USA leading the way.
The 9th Lagos International Badminton Classics is taking place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Nigeria Institute of Sports (NIS), National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The competition, which began on Wednesday, is scheduled to end on Saturday.
To book her place in the quarter-finals, Gupta defeated Nigeria’s Naomi Tanko 2-0 (21-10, 21-10) in the Round of 32 and will now face Myssha Khan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
No. 3 seed Petra Maixnerova of the Czech Republic also fought her way into the quarter-finals after defeating India’s Jameet Kaur to set up a clash against Ania Setien, who beat Belgium’s Clara Lassaux.
No. 4 seed Prakriti Bharath of the UAE also secured a quarter-final berth after a fierce battle with compatriot Sakshi Kurbkhelgi, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-10.
Bharath is expected to face Prasha Bonam, who edged Czech Republic’s Van Coppenolle 21-16, 21-16.
No. 7 seed Agnes Korosi of Hungary defeated UAE’s Mia Sundaparadian 16-21, 21-16, 21-17 to set up a clash against India’s Surya Tamiri.
Earlier, unseeded Tamiri caused the major upset of the competition when she sent top seed Azzahra of Azerbaijan out of the tournament with a 21-13, 21-18 victory.
All is now set for the clash between Korosi and Tamiri in the quarter-final pairing at the Indoor Sports Hall of the NIS, National Stadium, Surulere.
Speaking with newsmen, Gupta said she was more focused on her game than her opponents.
“I need to focus on my game, get enough rest and prepare myself mentally. Who I am facing now does not matter; good training and composure are more important,” she said.
