Governor’s Cup 1st Leg: Upset As Unseeded Dutch Star Shocks Top Seed

ISRAEL TAIWO 

Stephan Fransen of  The Netherlands defeated number one seed, Karim-Mohamed Maamoun of Egypt in first round match of the 2017 Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship on Monday 

There are strong indications that the 17th Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship will be a tough tournament going by the results of Day One of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) approved pro circuit competition.

The first leg (Futures 4) of the Governor’s Cup  began Monday with shocking result as number one seed in the men’s singles, Egyptian Karim-Mohamed Maamoun failed to make it to the next round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) pro circuit competition going on at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

Maamoun, who is ranked 236, a regular face in Lagos in the last few years, crashed out of the first leg of the Governor’s Cup as he succumbed to the fire power of the Dutch star, Stephan Fransen, who is ranked 1212 in two straight sets of 6-2, 6-2 that lasted more than one hour on court 3.

Though the Egyptian player may bounce back in the second leg (Futures 5), he will have to raise his game in the doubles event if he wants to make any impact in the first leg of the competition.

In other results, playing on Court 1, Imeh Joseph could not continue his game against Serbian Ilija Vucic as he retired midway in the match. He lost the first set 1-6.

Alao in the Doubles event, Nigeria’s Abdulmumuni Babalola and Clifford Enosoregbe lost to Johan Sebatien Tatlot and Andrew Watson of France and Great Britain respectively in 0-6, 3-6 game.

Meanwhile, tickets for the Governor’s Cup are available on the platforms of Ariya Tickets and Naija Tickets Shop. The tickets come in different categories. While Category 1 regular ticket goes for N1,500 each, the VIP category goes for N5,000 each. The tickets bought last for the two weeks event. The tickets can also be purchased at the venue.