For the second consecutive year, Khadijat Mohammed has won the Women’s Singles title at the Dala Hard Court Tennis Championship in Kano.
The Nigerian teenage sensation defeated Mary Udoffa in two straight sets to clinch her second senior national title and her second Dala title for the second year in a row.
The match which lived up to its billing was a case of ‘so close, yet to far’ for Udoffa whose dreams of finally landing a national title now has a future date as it could not materialize in Kano.
Mohammed came into the finale with a strong claim for the title, as well as her colleague, both of whom were the only players to have not lost a set before the final.
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But it was the Abuja-based tennis star’s tournament to win after taking the first set 6-3. Udoffa, sensing danger and a dwindling illumination for her title hopes, worked even harder in the second set.
Her opponent must have felt the heat as the game kept turning the heads of the spectators which included the President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju, but it was Mohammed who held on and stood firm on business.
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At the end of the second set, the 2023 Dala Women’s Singles title winner had done enough to reclaim her title and etch her name in the Nigerian tennis history books, as she won 6-4.
Also, the pair of Daniel Adeleye and Yusuf Abubakar ensured that they did not leave Kano without a title, as they partnered to hand Matthew Abamu and Michael Emmanuel a 7-6(2), 6-4 defeat to win the Men’s Doubles title.
Attention will now shift to the Men’s Singles final showdown between two of the most in-form Nigerian tennis players at the moment.