Abdulmumuni Babalola had the last laugh in the battle of former champions when he and Clifford Enosoregbe played against each other at the first round of the Dala Hard Court tournament in Kano.
Nigeria Tennis Live had reported this morning that both players would be facing each other in the first round of the competition, and that it would be a match to watch out for. Well, the players did not disappoint, as they gave the audience a spectacle.
Babalola, the Davis Cup team captain proved his tactical know how, as he dominated the game for most periods of the encounter even though the match ended in a final set decider. Enosoregbe succumbed as his tough opponent won 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
This result means that the southpaw player could yet reach the final and win the competition, even though he has not won Men’s Singles for a while.
Nigerians will be looking forward to the legendary Babalola’s performances in the coming days, as many junior players look up to him and admire his longevity and winning mentality on and off the court.
Meanwhile, Wilson Igbinovia, the highest ranked Nigerian junior player on the junior ITF Circuit caused an unprecedented upset at the competition when he defeated the tournament’s number five seed in a final set thriller.
Igbinovia battled to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Musa Mohammed, and his performance may have been boosted by his recent wins on the junior ITF tour.
In the Women’s Singles, Marylove Edwards played a 6-0, 2-0 (rtd) game against senior player, Blessing Anuna as the youngster strives to make it to the final, and possibly win the tournament which still has some really exciting prospects in the next round.
Oiza Yakubu was not so superb in her match against Esther Olamide, as the player who got in the Main Draw through the preliminary rounds, defeated the number three seed in straight sets of 6-4, 6-3.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep updating our readers with the latest information from other matches at the tournament as the boys are being separated from the men.
Below are the result from matches played on Tuesday, 2 November, 2021:
1 Comment
Dear NTF,
I am really excited to have the privileges of keeping abreast with what is ongoing In the Nigeria Tennis world , I will suggest that thls site should leave a space for tennis lover to make one or two comment , better still, NTF should work on a group site to keep all old and new players intouch with each other. Thanks .