Lagos Aug. 29, 2025 (NAN) Muhammad Yusuf of Indonesia continued his giant-killing run, defeating India’s Saneeth Dayanand 21-22, 21-15 to open Day Two proceedings at the Lagos International Badminton Classics.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was a day of upsets, as Japan’s Minoru Koga stunned India’s fifth seed Rahul Bharadwaj 21-15, 21-13.
Bharadwaj, familiar to Lagos fans and buoyed by strong support, could not deliver when it mattered most.
Her first set was poor, with Koga making her look ordinary. Attempts to rally in the second set met a determined Koga smashing relentlessly.
Similarly, Korea’s Park Ga Eun crushed Sreeith Parol of the Philippines 21-11, 21-5 to secure her quarter-final ticket at the round of 16 stage.
Meanwhile, Dominik Kwinta of Poland (world rank 165) edged India’s Irvin Walter 21-17, 22-20 in a nerve-racking straight-sets win to reach the quarter-finals.
It was perhaps the day’s most tightly contested match, with both players’ powerful strokes and court positioning impressing spectators.
Kwinta led throughout and worked tirelessly to maintain his advantage, while Walter’s sustained pressure could not turn the game in his favour.
It was a cat-and-dog battle as both players fought for control, but Kwinta prevailed as the sharper and hungrier competitor.
In the same vein, Indonesia’s top-ranked Prahdiska Shujiwo wasted no time in dispatching Poland’s Mikolaj Syzmanowski 21-17, 21-18.
His victory secured safe passage to the Round of 16.
Players who advanced expressed happiness and determination to excel as the competition progresses.
The tournament, which began on Aug. 27, will end on Aug. 30 at Okoya Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. (NAN)
