Taiwo Mati, Matthew Kuti seal Nigeria's podium finish in Lagos
Mati and Kuti pushed Nigeria onto the podium in Lagos, a semifinal run that sealed a medal finish and revived the home crowd’s belief.
Taiwo Mati and Matthew Kuti turned a promising home run into a guaranteed medal finish for Nigeria, reaching the men’s doubles semifinals at WTT Contender Lagos and locking in a podium place before their last-four loss.
The Nigerian pair had already handled the first test with authority, beating Ghana’s Emmanuel Quarcoo and Isaac Addo 3-0 in the round of 16 by scores of 11-9, 11-6 and 11-6. That straight-games win set up a run that kept the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall alive with expectation as the host nation chased a breakthrough in front of its own crowd.
That momentum carried Nigeria into the semifinals, where the assignment became much tougher. Mati and Kuti ran into India’s Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, the second seeds in the bracket, and fell 3-0 as the Indians took control early and closed out the match 11-4, 11-6 and 11-9. The final scoreline was decisive, but Nigeria stayed close enough in the third game to show the pair had not simply been swept aside.
Even so, the result was the real prize for the hosts. By getting to the semifinals in a WTT Contender doubles event, Mati and Kuti secured Nigeria a place on the podium and delivered one of the tournament’s defining local stories. In Lagos, where the pressure of home expectations can cut both ways, the run gave the event a competitive heartbeat and kept Nigerian fans invested deep into the draw.
The achievement also spoke to a broader pattern. Lagos has become a place where Nigerian doubles combinations can threaten international fields, and Mati and Kuti added another chapter to that trend after earlier local runs in the event. The comparison to 2024 is obvious, when Olajide Omotayo and Azeez Solanke carried Nigerian hopes all the way to the final in Lagos. This year, Mati and Kuti did not match that silver-medal finish, but they ensured the host nation remained part of the medal conversation.
WTT Contender Lagos 2026 ran from 19 May to 24 May at the Lagos venue and carried total prize money of USD 100,000. While India’s Manush Shah and Diya Chitale also left their mark by winning mixed doubles, Nigeria’s biggest statement came in men’s doubles, where Mati and Kuti transformed a solid bracket run into a podium finish and gave the home event one of its sharpest competitive outcomes.
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