In a thrilling final at the 6th Lagos International Badminton Classics, 22-year-old Brazilian player Jonathan Matias emerged victorious on Saturday by defeating Spain’s Pablo Abian to claim the Men’s Singles title.
The tournament’s final matches took place at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.
The final match between Matias and Abian was highly competitive, with Matias taking advantage of a few mistakes made by the Spaniard.
After defeating Nigeria’s Anu Opeyori in the quarter-finals and advancing to the final, Matias expressed his joy at winning his first major international title in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“This title means a lot to me, this is the first time of winning an international classic tournament in my career.
“I love the atmosphere here and the fans didn’t bother me. I just focused on what I wanted to do and put everything behind me.
“The hall was quiet in my mind as I was playing my game and wasn’t thinking about the crowd.
“I worked hard and trained for this event and here I am as the champion. I hope to continue from this to other medals, especially at the Olympics,” he said.
In the badminton championship event, Fabio Caponio of Italy and Dmtny Panarin of Kazakhstan tied for third place in the Men’s Singles category.
In the Women’s Singles category, Ines Lucia Castilo-Salazar of Peru emerged victorious by defeating Lauren Lam of the USA, with Rachel Darragh of Ireland and Juliana Vaiana Viera of Brazil sharing third place.
For the Men’s Doubles, the Indian pair of PS Ravikshra and Sankar Prasad Udayakumar clinched the title by defeating the Algerian duo of Koceila Mammey and Youcef Sabri. Nigeria’s Abduhamid Waheed Musa and Daniel Philip, along with Jose Guevara and Diego Mini of Peru, shared third place.
In the Women’s Doubles category, the Indian pair of Sirran Singhi and Ritika Thaker won by default against the USA duo of Lauren Lam and Paula Lynn. The Indian duo of Rutaparma Panda and Swetapana Panda, along with Amy Ackerman and Deidre Laurens, shared third place.
In the Mixed Doubles category, Jose Guevara and Ines Lucia Castilo of Peru secured the title by defeating Mina Ivanocic and Petra Polanc of Slovenia. Musa Morroh and Ramatu Yakubu, along with Dinna Miri and Paula la Torre-Regal of Peru, shared the third position.
The final matches were attended by various dignitaries and stakeholders in Nigerian badminton, including the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, and the President of Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, among others.
