Tennis is not exactly huge in Nigeria, but in Oyinlomo Quadre, the country has one of the finest young talents in the world.
Currently ranked inside the top-150 in the world junior rankings, the young gun is on a mission to put Nigerian tennis on the global map. Quadre only turned 17 in May, but she has already established herself as the undisputed No. 1 in women’s tennis in Nigeria. She reached the top of the national rankings on the back of a phenomenal 2019, when she claimed all four national titles.
Quadre operated on a completely different level to the opposition, dismantling her rivals to win the CBN Open, Dala Hard Courts, Rainoil Open and Vemp Open titles. She also made big strides in the international scene, reaching the quarter finals of the Lagos Open in October.
The teenager added three junior titles to her 2019 collection, winning in Megrine (Tunisia), Cotonou (Benin Republic) and Abuja (Nigeria). Quadre’s run to the last eight in Lagos was the best performance by any Nigerian woman in the tournament’s history.
Inspired by Burundi’s Sada Nahimana, who had won the first leg of the Lagos Open a week earlier (and also happened to be Quadre’s roommate at the ITF High Performance Centre in Morocco), Quadre powered to her first ever ITF World Tour quarter final, dispatching Denmark’s Divine Nweke 6-0 6-0 before taking down Tamara Curovic in the second round.
The youngster held a 6-2 1-0 lead before her Serbian opponent retired hurt early in the second set.
Quadre won over new fans with her Lagos Open exploits, drawing more Nigerians into tennis. Some fans even went as far as betting on the young gun on the tennis betting sites in Nigeria!
The teenager threatened an even bigger upset in her quarter final against Valeriya Strakhova, taking the opening set against the more experienced Ukrainian, but it proved to be a bridge too far for the underdog, who eventually succumbed to a 5-7 6-3 6-1 defeat. With that result, she attained a career-high WTA ranking of 940.
“Well it’s always an overwhelming feeling when I think of the fact that I am making Nigeria proud as much as possible and that’s one of the things that keep me going,” Quadre said after her rankings breakthrough.
The Nigerian made an encouraging start to 2020, winning an ITF J3 title in Pretoria South Africa. She attained her best ITF junior ranking of 128th in February, and looked set to reach her target of a top-50 position by the end of the year.
However, her steady progress was unfortunately halted by the shutdown of sporting activities around the world. Quadre has taken down many opponents with her powerful forehand, but her biggest weapons are arguably her incredible fighting spirit and boundless ambition.
That has been very evident right through her tennis career. Her tennis journey started at the age of four, when she used to accompany her sisters to the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. A dozen years later, she became the No. 1 player in Nigeria.
She has faced numerous challenges along the way, but that has not deterred her from pursuing her career goals. The teen sensation has already come a long way in a very short time.
Quadre has openly spoken about her desire to emulate her idol, Serena Williams, and win a Grand Slam title someday. She is obviously still very far away from achieving that goal, but if she keeps developing and gets the appropriate support, it is not an impossible dream.
One thing is for sure- Oyinlomo Quadre will not stop fighting for her dream.
This article was written for WorldTennisMagazine by MBS Nigeria. Your gateway to betting sites in Nigeria.
