2016 ITF/ CAT Top 8 Junior Masters fifth-ranked player, Oyinlomo Quadri, Angel McLeod, Christopher Itodo and South Africa-based Adetayo Adetunji will be leading Nigeria’s quest for a third successive title as the 2016 ITF West & Central Africa Junior Circuit gets underway in Abuja on Sunday.
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| Angel McCleod and Marylove Edwards will hoist Nigeria’s flag at the AJC |
According to the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), the quartet, who also played major roles in Nigeria’s winning outings at the last two editions of the tournament in 2014 and 2015, will lead a 24-player team which also has Bulus Christopher, Michael Oshewa, Gabriel Friday, Marylove Edwards, Suleiman Ibrahim, Daniel Adeleye, Timipre Maxwell and Rebecca Peter in Team A.
Peter Lawal, David Amusu, Favour Moses, Mariam Balogun, Sani Musa, Saminu Abubakar, Toyin Asogba, Chidinma Eze, Filippo Troimbi, Gabriel Richard, Fortune Joseph and Oyza Yakubi are in the team B of the host nation.
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| Gabriel Inyang is also among the players who made the cut to the ITF tournament in Abuja. |
Nigeria’s coach Mohammed Ubale expressed confidence in the team to retain the regional title but stressed that more importantly, the country need to clinch the maximum eight spots available for the country to the main tournament billed for Pretoria, South Africa in March.
Meanwhile the NTF has stated that there will be no Local Organizing Committee for the tournament due to shortage of fund.
The event will now be coordinated by a team led by the Vice President of the Confederation of African Tennis Zone 2, Mr. Yemi Owoseni.
He will be supported by a technical team which has Bulus Hussein, Rotimi Akinloye, Saidu Musa and NTF secretary general, Gloria Ekwempu-Chinwuko.
Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo will compete alongside Nigeria at the tournament billed for the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja.