Francis Ajuonuma
Izabela Lupulesku of Serbia player says it was like hell playing against Nigerian players at the ongoing World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Lagos 2023, taking place at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Multi-purpose Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Suruler, Lagos.
Lupulesku, who will face Huang Yu-Wen of Chinese Taipei in today’s round 3 qualifiers for a place in the main draw, serving off on Thursday, had to dispatch Nigeria’s Kehinde Oyeniyi 3-0 (7/11, 3/11 and 3/11) in the preliminary round 2 of the ladies’ singles.
Speaking after her game with Oyeniyi, the Serbian, who is visiting Nigeria for the first time noted that playing against a Nigerian player was like playing against the whole fans in the hall.
She admitted being under intense pressure at the early stage of the game against Oyeniyi but got better as the match progresses because she loves playing in such an atmosphere
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The 23-year-old, who is ranked 89th by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has however set her eyes for a place in the main draw with the going far in the tournament.
“It is my first time in Nigeria as I was recently in Durban, South Africa for the World Championships while I had also visited Cape Town as well.
“Before the match I was a bit stressed because the first match is always very difficult and playing against a Nigerian player as the fans were supporting her.
“I was a bit under pressure but as the match progressed, I felt better to win the match. I love playing in this kind of atmosphere and I look forward to my next match,” she said.
Meanwhile, in other matches scheduled for later today in the ladies’ singles, Diya Parag Chitale of India will take on China’s Wang Xiaotong, while Rachel Moret of Switzerland will slug it out against China’s Guo Yuhan. Also, Li Yake of China and Filippa Bergand will contest in what looks like a battle for survival for who progresses into the main draw.
In the men’s doubles, the pair of Muizz Olawale Adegoke and Samuel Boboye will face Korea’s pair of Oh Junsung and Park Ganghyeon, while Ghana’s pair of James Marfo and Godwin Alabi will have very strong opponents in the pair of Jeett Chandra and Snehit Suravajjula of India to contend with.
