Nigeria’s Marylove Edwards on Tuesday continues her great display in the 2016 ITF/CAT Africa Junior Championships West &Central qualifiers with an impressive 6-0, 6-1 win over Serena Geli of Togo as the 12-nation tournament holding at the Tennis Centre of the National Stadium Abuja nears its crucial stage.
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| Marylove Edwards has maintained her fine form since the start of the tournament. |
The 10-year-old, known for her double forehand and double backhand, has been one of the standout performers in the tournament having beaten her previous opponents from Ghana and Nigeria with the same score line to top her pool.
She is now on course to face her compatriot, Oyinlomo Quadri, who returned to winning ways by beating Naa McKorley of Ghana 6-1 6-2.
Quadri, 12, who is based in Morocco on a year-long ITF scholarship, suffered a shock 6-4, 6-0 loss to Patricia Wamba of Cameroun in her first match.
Nigeria also had it good in the boys’ 14&U as Michael Osewa posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Cameroon’s Paul Wamba while Gabriel Friday and Musa Sani both triumphed 6-4, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-2 against Charles Alipoe of Togo and Louis Nyarka of Ghana in the same category.
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| Gabriel Inyang is gradually becoming a thorn in the flesh for opponents. |
Osewa, who got bronze at the main AJC in Tunisia last year expressed confidence in winning the category while also hoping to do the same in the AJC billed for Pretoria, South Africa in March.
He said: “I’m good enough for the title here in Nigeria. My major focus is how to win the AJC title in South Africa because the two players that were above me at the last AJC from Morocco have moved to the 16&u.”
In the Girls’ 16&U, Nigeria’s Angel McLeod and South Africa-based Adetayo Adetunji also maintained their good form by winning 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-0 against fellow Nigerians, Chidinmma Ezeh and Mariam Alli-Balogun
Christopher Itodo also matched on with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Isaac El Haya of Cote d’Ivoire in the boys’ 16&U just as Peter Lawal defeated Jaques Sewodo of Togo 6-4, 7-6 in a match that lasted over two hours.
Nigeria’s Daniel Adeleye, Saminu Abubakar and Oiza Yakubu all lost their matches against their opponents from Togo, Gabon and Mali respectively.