Seun Ogunsakin has become the first Nigerian in 36 years to win a Grand Slam main-draw singles match.
The 17-year-old achieved the milestone after defeating 15th seed Kuan-Shou Chen of Chinese Taipei in the opening round of the US Open junior boys’ singles.
Ogunsakin recovered from losing the first set to secure a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory in New York.
The win made him the first Nigerian to record a Grand Slam main-draw singles victory, across junior or senior competition, since Nduka Odizor at the 1990 Australian Open.
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Ogunsakin had to fight for the landmark result.
After Chen claimed a tight opening set, the Nigerian responded strongly in the second. He then secured the decisive break late in the final set to eliminate one of the tournament’s seeded players.
His campaign ended in the second round following a three-set defeat to South Africa’s Connor Doig.
Doig won 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 after Ogunsakin again recovered from losing the opening set to force a decider.
The defeat ended his run but did not remove the significance of his opening victory.
Odizor remains Nigeria’s most successful men’s tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of 52, won an ATP singles title and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 1983.
Nigeria had not produced another Grand Slam main-draw singles winner since 1990.
Ogunsakin’s achievement continues an encouraging period in his junior career and places greater attention on how he will be supported during the difficult transition into senior tennis.
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