At the second edition of WTT Contender Lagos, held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, on Sunday, India’s Sreeja Akula won the women’s title. Dimitrij Ovtcharov, a former world number one and last year’s silver medallist, won the men’s singles title.
Ovtcharov beat his compatriot Ricardo Walther 4-1 (11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10, 11-16) while Akula also recorded a five-set win 4-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6) in the final.
The final was attended by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Ovtcharov was making his second trip to Nigeria after failing to clinch the men’s singles title at the maiden edition of the series in 2023 but the 36-year-old was able to right the wrong in his second attempt with a dominant win.
Ovtcharov was Lagos fans’ favourite in 2023 and he had sent several table tennis equipment to young players across the country as a result of the massive support he got in his maiden visit.
The former world No. 1 had won a total of two silver and four bronze medals at the Olympics since he debuted at Beijing 2008 in China, making him one the most decorated male Olympians in the table tennis category in terms of the number of medals awarded.
India’s heavy representation also saw them win the men’s doubles where they beat Nigeria and women’s doubles.
