Tennis: Samuel Antwi disappointed at early singles exit
Ghana’s number one seed Samuel Antwi has expressed disappointment after his surprise defeat to Egyptian Michael Bassem Sobhy in the men’s singles of the tennis competition at the 13th African Games.
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Antwi lost 2-6, 1-6 to Sobhy last Saturday, crashing out of the competition at the Round of 64 stage before a packed crowd at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
Cheered on by the partisan crowd at the centre court, the Ghanaian failed to match the class of his opponent who won the first set without much effort.
The Ghanaian could not find his rhythm in the second set as Sobhy capitalised on his opponent's weak forehand shots for an easy victory and progress to the next round.
After the loss, Antwi struggled to come to terms with his early exit from the competition.
“I feel so disappointed. This is a big disappointment to lose this kind of match because expectations were high. It’s really tough to accept this defeat but I lost to a better opponent, so it’s okay.
However, Anytwi is looking for redemption in the men's doubles competition on Monday as he partners Herman Abban to play against the DR Congo pair of Samuel Nkulufa Dasilva and William Bushamuka.
"I hope to play well in the doubles together with Herman Abban so that we can progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s tennis team put up a spirited performance in their opening matches as the majority of the players recorded wins in the men's and women’s singles events.
In the men’s singles competition, Lameck Bagerbaseh won 6-4, 6-0 against Gogo’s Kwame Roland Dussey, Herman Abban defeated Burundi’s Kalaga Sayouba 6-3, 6-2, Isaac Nortey claimed a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Sileshi Getachaw Belay from Ethiopia while Abraham Asaba won 6-1, 6-0 against Joelson Paulino from Angola to advance to the Round of 32.
Also in the women’s category, Ruth Crawford won 3-6, 6-4, 10-2 against Algeria’s Mebarki Bochra while Elizabeth Bagerbaseh trashed Ethiopia’s Eden Zewde 6-0, 6-0.
The only losers on the opening day were Samuel Antwi and Johnson Acquah who lost 6-1, 6-4 to Benin’s Sylvester Monnou.
