Nigerian teen star advances at Roland Garros with straight-sets win

Nigeria’s rising tennis prospect, Seun Ogunsakin, made a winning start to his Roland Garros campaign on Thursday, defeating French opponent Lenny Couturier in the boys’ singles qualifying event.

The 17-year-old secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the home favourite in a match that lasted about one hour and 30 minutes. Ogunsakin took control early, using aggressive baseline play to claim the first set comfortably.

The second set proved more competitive as Couturier fought back in front of his home crowd. However, Ogunsakin held his nerve, matching his opponent in long rallies and producing key winners during decisive service games to close out the match.

With the win, the Ekiti-born player moves closer to the main draw of the junior tournament. He will learn his opponent for the final qualifying round on Friday.

Ogunsakin has enjoyed a steady rise in junior rankings this season. His recent achievements include winning the ITF J200 Africa Regional Championship in Cairo, where he defeated a player from Botswana in the final. He also reached the quarter-finals of the J300 Charleroi event in Belgium after upsetting the third seed.