Nigerian sensation, Olajide Omotayo became the toast of Germans fans after the former national junior champion caused an upset in the preliminary round of the men’s singles at the ongoing ITTF World Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Omotayo, who was ranked below 500 in the world showed his class against Romania’s Cristian Pletea to qualify for the knockout round in his maiden appearance at the global tournament.
The Romanian was brimming with confidence before the encounter but after Omotayo won the first game, it was clear that all will not be easy for the European.
Omotayo who had taken the time to study his opponent before the encounter played with a lot of caution knowing full well that his opponent strength is in rallying. With a lot of short ball to the middle of the table and with some tactical discipline, the Nigeria won the heart of the German fans with the beautiful[G19] backhand shot that won several points for him.
Even when the Romania, ranked 177 in the world won the second game, Omotayo was playing with a lot of tactics and this paid off for him as he rounds up the match at 4-1 to the admiration of the Germans.[G20]
With this, Omotayo topped his group to become one of the players that will feature in the knockout stage of the men’s singles. “I knew my opponent is a good player with a lot of experience despite younger than me. I had taken the time to watch all his matches on[G21] YouTube and when the match started, it was a bit difficult for me but after winning the first game, I gained confidence,” Omotayo told NationSport after the encounter. “It was a big win for me that I was ranked 566, while my opponent was rated 177 in the world. I am so happy that in my first appearance I qualified from the group and now I have nothing to lose. With this, I have the courage that I can beat any player and if I lose I have nothing to lose particularly if such opponent is ranked higher than me,” he added.
2017 ITTF World Championships: Omotayo causes upset to berth in knockout
