LAGOS INTERNATIONAL SQUASH CLASSIC SERVES OFF

The much-anticipated 2018 Lagos International Squash Classics serves off on Monday, March 19, 2018, at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere with top athletes ready to compete in the qualifying rounds of the $20,000-prize tournament.

Nigeria and 14 other countries are expected to compete in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) sanctioned Tournament sponsored by the Lagos State Government and organised by the Lagos State Squash Association in conjunction with the Nigeria Squash  Federation (NSF).

Eight players have been seeded in the men’s event while four women including Nigeria’s Yemisi Olatunji made the seeding list.

The qualifying round will herald the commencement of the Championship with players jostling for the four slots available in the main draw of the men and women events.

Babatunde Ajagbe is the only Nigerian starting his campaign from the main draw in the men’s event while Olatunji will lead eight other Nigeria players to start their campaign from the main draw of the women’s event.

Egyptian players dominated the eight-man seeding list with Karim Ali Fathi topping the list while Czech Republic’s Eva Fertekova tops the female seeding list comprising four athletes.

Four qualifiers are expected to break into the main draw from the qualifying round in the men’s category while four will also make it to the women’s division.

The competition will also witness local participants vying for laurels in the squash tournament which had been dominated by international players in previous editions.

Aside top playing nations like France and Egypt, other nations listed for the six-day tournament include England, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Ireland, Iraq, South Africa, Belgium, United States, Pakistan, India and Czech Republic.

The men will share $15,000 while the women will be aiming for the $5000 purse for the tournament.