The Tournament Director of the IGP Open Contenders Invitational Classic, Oluwaseun Peters, has said the event was organised to help players prepare for the upcoming National Sports Festival.
Peters told journalists that the three-day tournament, which began on May 13, will conclude on May 15, with no fewer than 28 players competing for honours.
“This is a well-timed event where the players would seize the opportunity to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the 22nd National Sports Festival to hold in Ogun.
“So far so good, we have seen classic competitive matchups amongst players and they are not relenting on their efforts to showcase their qualities.
“The matches so far have been very entertaining and thrilling moments and high-tempo games recorded so far.
“It has also served well for young players to seize the moment to also prove their qualities while the professionals have done well to consolidate their superiority.
“We are proud of what we have seen so far and we just look forward to another wonderful moment in squash competition,” Peters said.
Similarly, C.S.P. Charity Enebeli, Chairperson of the Police Sports Committee, expressed satisfaction with the level of competition.
“We have put the tournament together because we want to contribute to the development of squash among our youths.
“We look forward to an exciting tournament where every player gives their best to achieve something at the end,” Enebeli said.
Also present at the event was Shola Adekunle, Chairman of Yellow Dot Squash Club, who commended the players and the organisers.
“In the first day of action, I have seen a great deal of squash professionalism and a lot of energy from the players.
“Indeed, it has been a very competitive show and I’m looking forward to more games and basically enjoy myself.
“I want to thank the Nigeria Police for organising the tournament. Indeed, it is a notable objective that goes a long way to help the players,” Adekunle said.
Some players said the timing of the competition was ideal as it would aid their preparation and mindset for the National Sports Festival.
Abdulrahman Ahmed, currently ranked number 13, said he was looking forward to perfecting his strategy and winning the men’s singles.
“I want to win the men singles so as to take that winning mentality to the festivals,” Ahmed said.
Similarly, Jadesola Olatunji said she was excited to be part of the tournament and was focused on reaching the women’s singles final.
“I have seen a lot of tough opposition, but I am not disturbed about that, I am just focused on my games and looking forward to doing well at the end,” Olatunji said.
Day One Results
In the opening matches, Asade Samson defeated Samuel Nduka-Uba 11-7, 10-12, 11-7 (2-1) to secure his first win.
Usman Musa edged past Balogun Abubakar 10-12, 11-7, 11-8 (2-1), while Dele Prat beat Farooq Suleiman 11-6, 13-11 (2-0).
Dominion Utake held firm against Yusuf Quadri, recording an 11-6, 11-9, 5-11 (2-1) win. Lanre Abdulrahman also saw off Ayomide Oladipo (2-0).
Ayomide Oladipupo capped the day with a commanding 11-0, 11-0 (2-0) victory over Usman Musa.