Little international known Nigeria 17 years old, Samuel Boboye caused a big upset yesterday on his senior debut as a member of the Nigerian team at the 2021 ITTF African Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
In his first senior match of the men’s singles event, Boboye caused a major upset.
The Nigeria national junior champion showed a maturity that belies his age. Convincingly, he beat Algerian Olympian Larbi Bouriah, the no.19 seed, in the opening round (11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5).
Boboye controlled the match from start to finish with a near perfect performance against one of Africa’s most experienced players.
He was flawless with his strokes and returned those of his opponent with the utmost efficiency, leaving the latter dumbfounded many times in the match.
Regarded as the first major upset in the singles’ events, Boboye was easily the better of the two players, gaining the admiration of the fans at the Sports Palace Complex in Yaoundé.
“I knew nothing about him apart from his being one of the players that featured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. I was very confident going into the match and I was very positive throughout the entire match. I am happy winning my first game. I am in Cameroon to give my best and I am so excited to be a part of the team that has Quadri Aruna; his presence alone motivates me. I am hoping that I can go far and be ready to face any opponent that comes my way”, Boboye said after the match.
Earlier on Saturday, Nigeria male team lost to Egyptian in the final with 2-3 score line despite Aruna Quadri double win over the Egyptian. In the female, Nigeria team lost 0-3 to the better Egyptian.
DiscernSport