9th Lagos International Badminton Classics: Unseeded Laithazuala upsets tournament favourite
Unseeded Hmar Laithazuala of India on Friday caused a major upset at the 9th Lagos International Badminton Classics after defeating tournament favourite and top-seeded Israeli, Misha Zilberman, in the semifinals.
The 9th Lagos International Badminton Classics is taking place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Nigeria Institute of Sports (NIS), National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The competition, which began on Wednesday, is scheduled to end on Saturday.
The tense but exciting encounter saw Laithazuala floor the injured Zilberman 21-12, 21-6 to set up a final duel against another unseeded Indian player, Tankara Talasila.
In the other semifinal, Talasila, in a tough encounter, overpowered third-seeded Dmitriy Panarin of Kazakhstan 21-19, 20-22, 21-1 in one of the longest matches of the day.
Speaking after his loss, Zilberman congratulated the eventual winner, adding that he needed to take a bow.
“I need to take a bow, out of the competition. It’s been a tough one, with others hungry to win as well,” he said.
Laithazuala, on his part, commended Zilberman for putting up a great show.
“Zilberman is a great player and I need to respect that. I am happy to win,” he said.
``This is my first career appearance in the finals on international level, see everyone at the finals,'' he said.
All is now set for the epic final between Laithazuala and Talasila at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), National Stadium, Surulere.
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