Abdulmumumi Babalola rolled back the years to put up some outstanding performances during his qualifying game against Christian Paul, winning the game in the final set.
The Davis Cup player who won the 2017 edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Open had to go through the qualifiers to stand a chance to play in the Main Draw and wasted no time in showing traits of his brilliance which has stood him out as one of Nigeria’s longest surviving players on the circuit.
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| Abdulmumuni Babalola is rolling back the years to produce some exceptional performances at the ITF Circuit in Abuja. |
Babalola lost the first set 3-6 against Paul, another player who holds his own against other top pros, but rallied to win the remaining two sets 6-1,6-3, to prove that he’s still one of Nigeria’s finest regardless of his age.
In other matches, Nigeria’s number one male tennis, Joseph Imeh, was made to earn every point in his final set match against budding Nigerian youngster, Michael Michael, as they played out 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in one of the matches decided on Sunday, 29 April.
The last clash between Nigerians saw Clifford Enosoregbe and Thomas Otu, two champions – former and present – slug it out in a battle for supremacy which the defending champion of the Dala Hard Court Championship came out victorious in.
Although the former Nigerian Champion could have salvaged something out of the game, he retired the game when it was even at 4-6, 6-3, leaving Otu with the qualification ticket for a Nigerian player to the Main Draw of the ITF-rated $25,000+H championship.
Nigerian Tennis Live will keep updating reports from the tournament which will draw the curtain on the eventful three-week long ITF pro circuits action in Nigeria.