No fewer than three junior tennis players will be playing in the semifinal of the ongoing Rainoil National Tennis Open.
Bright Emmanuel, Khadijat Mohammed and Etoro Bassey, all junior ITF players, will be slugging it out in the Women’s Singles event at the ongoing national tournament in Lagos.
Mohammed, Nigeria’s number one player and a favourite to win the championship, defeated Patience Onebamhoin in two straight sets of 6-1, 6-2 to set up a semis clash against Bassey.
Bassey who got the better of fellow youngster, Success Ogunjobi, in a final set which ended 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, will be hoping to bring her A-game to the court when she takes on her opponent.
Also, Emmanuel from the Apapa Tennis Club, won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 against Blessing Otu, one of the top players at the competition, in another final set encounter that lasted about three hours.
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She will now take on another giant player in Blessing Omotayo for a place in the final of a senior national tournament for the first time ever.
Buoyed by her 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Favour Godwin, Omotayo will be hoping for a good outing against the relentless Emmanuel.
Meanwhile, there was drama in the Men’s Singles event on court five when Ikecchukwu Iloputa defeated Davis Cup player, Michael Emmanuel in two straight sets.
Iloputa had taken the first set 6-4 and suffered a minor setback in the second set, but he put himself together to ensure a 7-5 win against his opponent.
He will now play against Christopher Bulus, the tournament’s number one seed and favourite to win the event. Bulus won his quarterfinal match against Musa Mohammed after the latter retired in the second set while being 3-6, 0-3 down.
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Daniel Adeleye and Canice Abua settled their quarterfinal match in a final set match which ended 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in favour of the Lagos Country Club player.
Adeleye and Abayomi Philip, who reached the semis of the event from the qualifying rounds, will slug it out for a place in the Men’s Singles final during their match on Saturday morning.
Philip had upset former Nigerian number one, Uche Oparaoji, in the second round and followed that up with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat of fellow Mainland Tennis Club player, Matthew Abamu to reach the semis.
The Men’s Doubles final match will be between the pair of Daniel Adeleye and Abubakar Yusuf and Canice Abua and Musa Mohammed.
Omolayo Bamidele will partner Success Ogunjobi to go up against Etoro Bassey and Blessing Omotayo in the Women’s Doubles final on Saturday, 8 February, 2025.
Matches are expected to serve off by 9:30am inside the tennis section of the Ikoyi Club 1938 as the Rainoil National Tennis Open reaches its climax in Lagos.