The 19th edition of the Lagos Open is set to serve off on Monday, 7 October, with players from all around the world raring to go all out in Onikan.
We take a look at some of the players to watch out for over the course of the event.
Skander Mansouri
Tunisian star, Mansouri, heads into the Lagos Open in very fine form. The 24-year-old, who leads the pack in the men’s field as the highest-ranked player, has won five titles on the ITF World Tour, with four of those coming this year. In August, he helped secure Gold for his country in the men’s doubles at the African Games in Rabat, and also played a vital role in Tunisia’s promotion to the Africa Zone Group II in the Davis Cup last month.
Ranked 341 in the world, Skander is (at the time of writing) on a 7-match winning streak, a run that began at the M25+H Oliveira De Azemeis event in Portugal through to the M25 Tavira still in Portugal, where he’s into the second round. The Tunisian certainly has the game to go deep in Lagos.
Oyinlomo Quadre
A year since finishing in the round of 16 in the first leg of the Lagos Open, Quadre returns to the event vastly improved. The 16-year-old Nigerian sensation has won three titles this year, two coming on the ITF Junior Circuit- in Megrine, Tunisia and in Lome last month. On the national scene, she claimed the CBN Senior Open title in Abuja in June. Quadre is a powerful and fearless hitter, and her achievements this year suggest the youngster could be ready to make a breakthrough run on the ITF Pro Circuit.
Aldin Setkic
Four years after his sole triumph at this event, Bosnia’s Setkic, who’s now ranked 605 in the world, returns, in a bid to secure his 28th ITF World Tour title and first since 2017. The 31-year-old has spent most of the 2019 season on the Challenger Tour, where he hasn’t been particularly impressive. However, his history at this event and experience on the ITF Tour will make him a threat in Lagos.
Valeriya Strakhova
Strakhova will compete in Lagos for the fourth straight year. The Ukrainian, a 12-time ITF World Tour winner, has always been quite impressive at this event, with her best run being a semifinal showing in the second leg in 2015. With a ranking of 381 in the world, Strakhova is the highest-ranked player in the women’s draw and will look to build on her quarter-final showing last year.
Benjamin Lock
The Zimbabwean has won two titles this year – in Harare in June and the M15 Johannesburg last week. He is (at the time of writing) on a 7-match winning streak, as he is currently in the second round of the M15 Pretoria event. The 26-year-old, who’s ranked 466, will arrive Lagos in peak form, hoping to better the quarter-final run he made in both legs of last year’s event.
Sandra Samir
Ranked 400 in the world, Egyptian star, Samir has been in outstanding touch recently. The 21-year-old has made the final in each of her last four tournaments, posting a 17-3 record in the process and claiming the W15 Cairo title in her home country late last month. The 9-time ITF winner will be making her maiden appearance at the Lagos Open, and given her recent form, it could very well be a memorable one.
The 2019 Lagos Open is live from the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, from 7-10 October.
