Calvin Hemery and Riya Bhatia claimed the Lagos Open second leg men’s and women’s singles title, respectively, at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Onikan today.
After rain washed out play on Sunday, the finals were moved to Monday, with Riya Bhatia facing Nastja Kolar in the women’s singles – the first match on the Order of Play.
Bhatia, ranked 516 in the world, took the first set off Kolar after breaking the Slovenian in the 11th game and consolidating with a comfortable hold in the 12th. Kolar would respond superbly, taking the second set without much trouble to restore parity and force a third set.
In the decider, Bhatia stepped up, carving out the all-important break in the 6th game for a 4-2 lead. From there, there was no looking back for the Indian as she held firm, sealing a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 victory with an impressive ace down the middle.
It’s been a memorable week for the 22-year-old who’s now clinched her 3rd ITF title and pocketed $3,000 in earnings.
While the women’s singles final spanned 2 hours, the men’s final between Calvin Hemery and Aldin Setkic lasted just 25 minutes.
Both men squared off in a repeat of last week’s final, and it was Hemery who again emerged winner to clinch his second consecutive Lagos Open title and 6th crown on the ITF Tour, capping off a truly remarkable fortnight in Lagos.
The 24-year-old Frenchman broke Setkic to love in the 6th game of the first set to go 4-2 up. He would power down an ace, his fifth of the match, for 15-0 in the 7th game before Setkic retired due to injury.
The 31-year-old Bosnian was bidding for his second Lagos Open title since his victory in 2015 and 28th ITF title of his career, but just couldn’t get over the line.