The Men’s Singles championship was won on Saturday by 22-year-old Brazilian Jonathan Matias, who upset Spaniard Pablo Abian in a thrilling final at the 6th Lagos International Badminton Classics.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere hosted the championship matches of the sixth Lagos International Badminton Classics.
The match between Matias and Abian was quite tense, and the Brazilian won by taking advantage of certain slip-ups made by the Spaniard.
In an interview with NAN, Matias, who overcame Nigeria’s Anu Opeyori in the quarterfinal to go to the final, expressed his happiness at winning his first significant international championship.
“This championship means a lot to me; this is the first international classic event victory of my professional career.
“I adore the vibe here, and I wasn’t bothered by the fans. I basically pushed everything else aside and concentrated on what I wanted to do.
“As I was playing my game and not worrying about the audience, the hall was peaceful in my head.
“I put a lot of effort and training into this competition, and here I am as the winner. I want to keep winning gold after this, especially at the Olympics,” he stated.
According to NAN, Dmtny Panarin of Kazakhstan and Fabio Caponio of Italy tied for third place.
Ines Lucia Castilo-Salazar of Peru won the Women’s Single event by defeating Lauren Lam of the United States; Rachel Darragh of Ireland and Juliana Vaiana Viera of Brazil tied for third place.
In the Men’s Double, the Indian team of PS Ravikshra and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar triumphed against the Algerian team of Koceila Mammey and Youcef Sabri to claim victory. Abduhamid Waheed Musa and Daniel Philip of Nigeria, Jose Guevara, and Diego Mini of Peru tied for third place.
In the women’s double, the Indian team of Sirran Singhi and Ritika Thaker defeated Lauren Lam and Paula Lynn of the United States, while Amy Ackerman and Deidre Laurens and the Indian team of Rutaparma Panda and Swetapana Panda tied for third place.
In the Mixed Doubles division, Mina Ivanocic and Petra Polanc of Slovenia were defeated by Jose Guevara and Ines Lucia Castilo of Peru, who went on to win. Musa Morroh and Ramatu Yakubu, along with Dinna Miri and Paula la Torre-Regal of Peru, tied for third place.
Numerous dignitaries and key players in Nigerian badminton, including the Chairman of Lagos, attended the final. Francis Orbih, President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, and the State Sports Commission (LSSC), among others. (NAN)
