Nigeria’s tennis stars, Quadri Aruna and Omotayo Olajide, will begin their medal quest in the men’s singles on Saturday (today).
Olajide who is making his second appearance at the Olympics will face Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan at 7:00 pm, while Aruna will square up with Romania’s Eduard Ionescu by 9:15 pm.
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Olajide who failed to make it beyond the first round four years ago in Tokyo is upbeat of making a big impression this time around.
“The last time, I was a contender even for the fact that I was having tears of joy while I was playing. This time around, it is time for business,” Omotayo said in an interview with the NTTF media.
“My second appearance at the Olympics means a lot to me.
“It is not easy to qualify from Africa, which was quite difficult many years ago. We have so many good players in Africa now, and I was able to qualify. Looking at the ranking system, it affected me about a year ago.
“My ranking dropped significantly, and I wasn’t sure if I would be part of the second pick for Team Nigeria. But thankfully, I reclaimed my spot and qualified for the Rwanda qualifications. This opportunity means a lot to me.”
Also, Nigerian duo Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello will be in action on Sunday and Monday respectively in the women’s singles event,
Edem will face Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi by 9:00 pm on Sunday, while debutant Bello will slug it out against France’s Jia Nan Yuan by 9:00 am on Monday.
By Dotun Omisakin
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