In just his first attempt at a really high grade Junior ITF event, David Ekpenyong has expressed his disappointment at losing to his opponent in the second round.
The Nigerian player, ranked 183 in the world, lost his second round match at the Zapopan J300 event in Mexico to Reda Bennani, the African number one ranked player, in two sets on Tuesday afternoon.
Nigeria Tennis Live checks revealed that Bennani, who reached the final of a J300 event in June, 2023, was made to fight till the end during the encounter against the Nigerian teenager, before winning 6-3, 7-5.
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And in a brief chat with our correspondent after the match, Ekpenyong, the Nigerian number one male player, noted that he was disappointed with how the match ended.
According to him, he was unable to hold his service against the world number 45 player during their encounter, hence the loss on the day.
But he noted, however, that he is now more experienced after the match as this competition has totally matured him and helped him grow from what he was before traveling.
He said: “I lost yesterday in the second round. It was a good match but it was my serve I couldn’t hold on to yesterday in the match”.
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Speaking further after the match, he noted that he could have won the match, but that he will take the positives from the competition and move on.
“I had the chance to win yesterday. I feel good and I have gotten the experience, gradually, I will get there,” Ekpenyong added.
Nigerians will now have to wait for the next tournament the player will be involved in, in the coming weeks, as a number of them are being expected.