NCAA Tennis: Oyinlomo Quadre And A Date With History In Oklahoma

By 3pm Nigerian time today, Nigeria’s darling tennis star Oyinlomo Quadre will be playing her first NCAA Women’s Tennis competition in Oklahoma.

The student-athlete at the Florida International University (FIU) is her school’s only representative at the Women’s Singles event at the NCAA Tennis Championship organized for the top 64 players from American colleges.

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Nigeria’s Quadre, ranked 41 in American Division 1 Colleges for Women Tennis, will be playing against Anika Yarlagadda (ranked 38) from North Carolina.

The former Nigerian no. 1 player has been raising the bar in each season since making the switch to Florida over a year ago.

In her freshman year, she emerged as the Conference USA freshman of the year as well as the FIU player of the year – the first ever player from her school to achieve both feats – two accolades that show how much talent the former world no. 92 junior player possesses.

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Since the start of her second season in College, Quadre has been in devastating form for her school, and not only did she play mostly as the team’s number one singles player, she also made sure to help them win the C-USA back-to-back.

To crown her efforts all season, she qualified as the only player from her school and her Conference to play in the Singles event at the NCAA. She will also be playing with her Doubles partner at the event.

While Nigerians may not be able to come to terms with what these achievements mean, Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that winning the NCAA is a big deal in the United States.

For instance, Americans who win the NCAA tennis championship get a wild card to the Main Draw of the US Open event and are always hugely celebrated across the country.

Such is the glamour that is attached to the championship as it is a tournament that is aimed at promoting Collegiate tennis in the United States.

Indeed, Nigeria’s Quadre has gotten this far by showing her abilities on the court and off it as well, and during a chat with Nigeria Tennis Live ahead of the championship, she revealed what it means to her.

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“It’s a big deal, I guess, especially since I’m the only one representing my school and our conference at the NCAA.

“Winners get to play in the Main Draw of the US Open, but I believe that’s only for Americans who win the tournament. So, winning it would be a really big deal for my tennis and my career,” Quadre told Nigeria Tennis Live.

Nigeria Tennis Live wishes the talented Nigerian player a successful outing at the NCAA Women’s Tennis event when she plays by 3pm Nigerian time on Monday, 20 May, 2024.