The 2018 Lagos International Squash
Classics began on Monday with the qualifying round at the Molade
Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, with 14 countries
including hosts Nigeria competing in the $20,000 prize money tournament
listed by the Professional Squash Association.
Eight players are seeded in the men’s event while four women including Nigeria’s Yemisi Olatunji made the seeding list.
The qualifying round will herald the
commencement of the championship, with players jostling for the four
slots available in the main draw of the men and women’s events.
Babatunde Ajagbe is the only Nigerian
starting his campaign from the main draw in the men’s event while
Olatunji will lead eight other Nigeria players to start their campaign
from the main draw of the women’s event.
Egyptian players dominated the men’s
seeding list with Karim Ali Fathi topping the list while Czech
Republic’s Eva Fertekova tops the women’s seeding list.
Four qualifiers are expected to break
into the main draw from the qualifying round in the men’s category while
four will also make it to the women’s division.
“The Lagos Classics is coming at a time
the squash federation has scheduled an U-19 championship for the same
venue in Lagos for March 21 to 24. There are also two great tourneys
and the biggest one is the SWAN National Championship also to be hosted
in Lagos,” Boye Oyerinde, the Nigerian Squash Federation president,
said.
The men’s category will share $15,000 while the women will be aiming for the $5,000 purse.
With foreigners most times dominating
the men’s event, local players are eager to turn the tide this year and
they have started their preparation in readiness to claim the titles.
Other countries for the six-day event
are France, Egypt, England, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland,
Iraq, South Africa, Belgium, USA, Pakistan, India and Czech Republic.
The men will share $15,000 while the women will be aiming for the $5000 purse for the tournament.
Copyright PUNCH.
No comments:
Post a Comment