Junior squash player, Khadijat Durosinlorun, says a lack of confidence contributed to her quarterfinal exit at the ongoing Prime Atlantic Squash Tournament in Lagos.

Durosinlorun told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium that although she was disappointed by the result, she remained optimistic about her development in the sport.

“I am yet to build my confidence to the level I want, but I believe that with consistency, I will get there.

“My dad is my coach and I know that once I become more confident on the court, I will perform much better.

“Squash is a very interesting game and I intend to match the achievements of my sisters in the sport,” she said.

The youngster made the remarks after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Lagos State’s Zainab Ishola in the U-19 quarterfinals of the fourth edition of the championship.

In spite of the loss, Durosinlorun’s performance reflected the growing competitiveness among emerging players at the tournament, which has witnessed several impressive displays from junior athletes.

Ishola, who progressed to the semifinals, credited her victory to hard work, improved training and increasing confidence.

“I have worked hard on my game and I am happy with the improvement. Every match has helped me gain confidence and become more focused.

“The semifinals will be difficult because the remaining players are very strong, but I am ready to give my best and fight for a place in the final,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF), Yusuf Durosinlorun, said the emergence of new talents and a series of upsets at the championship underscored the bright future of squash in Nigeria.

According to him, about 190 players are competing for honours and a share of the N8 million prize money at stake in the tournament.

“We have seen a lot of new players this year and the number of entries is far higher than what we recorded in the previous edition. The growth is encouraging.

“The improvement among the players is obvious. When you watch the matches, you can see the quality. It shows that Nigerian squash has a promising future,” he said.

Durosinlorun noted that several junior players had demonstrated their readiness to challenge established stars, resulting in a number of surprise outcomes.

“We recorded a number of upsets and that tells you the younger players are hungry and determined.

“They are challenging established players and making every match highly competitive,” he said.

He added that the level of competition had produced several closely contested encounters, making the tournament exciting for spectators.

“Many matches have gone down to the wire because the players are closely matched.

“The level of competition has made the tournament exciting for spectators,” he said.

Looking ahead to the semifinals, Durosinlorun expressed optimism that squash enthusiasts would witness more entertaining matches and possible further upsets.

“We expect very high-quality matches in the semifinals. There could still be more upsets because no player can take anything for granted at this stage,” he said.

Results from the men’s quarterfinals saw Shuaib Giwa defeat Abdusalam Usman 3-0, while Musa Umar overcame Morinola Abudumalik 3-1.

Daniel Friday produced one of the standout performances of the day, defeating Joshua Daniel 3-0, while Daniel Enaifoghe edged Peter Adeleke 3-2 in a closely contested encounter.

Defending champion Yusuf Quadri, who is also the reigning Under-19 champion, cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Ezikel Eferbo to secure his place in the semifinals.