Nigerian sensation, Oyinlomo Quadre, came agonizingly close to advancing to the second round of the ITF/CAT African Closed Junior 18 & Under Championships, a Grade B2 event, in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday.
The main draw of the clay-court event, which got underway at the Royal Tennis Club de Marrakech today, pitted the 15-year-old against Sarah Aubertin of Tunisia in the first round. The Nigerian, however, despite her spirited display, fell in three sets as she was edged 6-3, 0-6, 7-6(4) by her Tunisian opponent.
In what was a first time meeting between the two youngsters, it was Aubertin who earned the all-important breakthrough to ease to a first set win. Quadre, however, turned the tables in the second set, as she put up a flawless display, hitting with devastating purity to hand the Tunisian a bagel and level the match.
Both girls would go toe-to-toe in the final set, doing well enough to drive the set into a tie-breaker, where Aubertin got the better of the young Nigerian.
Quadre, who’s been at the High Performance Centre in Morocco for quite some time now, will turn her attention to the doubles event, where she’s partnered with Cameroon’s Anna Lorie Toumbou. The duo will take on the Madagascan pair of Mialy Ranaivo and Narindra Ranaivo in the first round.
Quadre and Toumbou have won two titles as doubles partners on the ITF Junior Circuit.
