Nigeria endured a torrid time on Thursday at the 2017 ITF/CAT African Junior Championships holding in Johannesburg, South Africa as the boys’ teams succumbed to defeat in their doubles matches at the event featuring over 100 players from about 30 countries. In the boys’ 16 and under, Michael Osewa and Michael Ayoola lost 7-5, 6-2 […]
via ITF/CAT Junior Tennis: Nigeria Boys team bow out in doubles — newfanzoneblog
The 2015 NNPC/Chevron Tennis Clinic enters its fourth day at the National Stadium, Lagos on Thursday with some of the Nigeria junior national players showing lots of improvements ahead of their busy schedule for the country in the coming weeks.
Mathew Abamu, Michael Ayoola, Michael Osewa and Angel Mcleod -all of whom are bound to take part in international tournaments for Nigeria in Morocco and Togo between August and September – were among the players that have their playing skills sharpened under the watch of Mr. Chris Enahoro, the coordinator of the programme which is attracting about 80 players.
Enahoro expressed delight in the constant progress being made by some of the players with conviction that the future of the game in Nigeria is bright.
NTF president Engr Sani Ndanusa commended the programme which he pointed has helped in no small measure in producing some of the country’s junior players.
In some of the warm up matches played to wrap up the day’s training session which saw players mostly put through their serving skills, Abamu defeated his Morocco-bound compatriot, Mcleod 7-5 while Olumide Ayoola also beat Emmanuel Jebutu 7-4. The matches were in played in tie-breaks.
The clinic which will end on August 29 is a prelude to the tournament proper billed for 4-10th of October in Lagos.
After their splendid performances which saw them dominate most of the tournaments across the continent last year, Nigerian players will be the cynosure of all eyes as the 2015 ITF West and Central Africa Junior Championship serves off in Lome, Togo from January 9-14.
The eleven-man team, under the tutelage of Mohammed Ubale has been perfecting strategies for yet another impressive outing since the start of the week in Lagos. They are scheduled to depart for the tournament on Thursday.
The players are Martins Abamu, Godsgift Timibra, Michael Ayoola, Oshewa Michael Mathew Abamu (all boys) while the girls players are Angel McCleod and Adetayo Adetunji, Oyinlola Quadri, Lolade Holmes, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Engr. Sani Ndanusa stated that the players were chosen based on the combination of their rankings and performance in 2014.
He disclosed that the mission of the team is to consolidate on Nigeria’s outstanding performance last year.
“We are looking forward to a great tournament in Togo and by extension the whole year ahead because we want to achieve a better result than what we had last year which no doubt ranks as one of our best in recent years. Our target is to raise the bar further by posting a far more impressive result this year,” Ndanusa declared.
Nigeria started last year by dominating the West and Central African Zonal Elimination Championship held in Abuja with 12 of its players bagging the zone’s 20 slots in the African Championship held in Nairobi, Kenya.
More eye-catching performances by Nigerian players were to follow at ITF junior tournaments in Togo and Benin where, among other of his compatriots, youngster, Joseph Imeh launched himself into prominence by winning the boy’s U-18 title in Lome and he reached the final in Cotonou a week later to move up considerably on the ITF junior rankings.
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