Nigerian players participating at the ongoing Junior ITF tournament in Abuja have been nothing short of impressive at the competition.
Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that the J30 Abuja event which had a full draw from the first leg had players from different parts of the world competing for valuable ITF points.
Players from France, Hong Kong, Egypt, Morocco, China, Great Britain and India are competing against some of the best Nigerian youngsters at the tournament in Nigeria’s federal capital.
And the talented Nigerians participating in the event have stood their grounds against their opponents as there are currently five Nigerians in the quarterfinals of the ITF-graded tournament.
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Top seed, Franklin Jimoh, leads the pack after handing out successive defeats to his opponents across two rounds, including players from Hong Kong and Egypt. He won both matches in two straight sets to set up a quarterfinal clash against fellow Nigerian Ezekiel Azi.
Mubarak Ganiyu, the number two seed, also handed out defeats to his opponent enroute to getting a date with Vyom Shah from India while Lucky Danjuma will come up against Morocco’s Mehdi Cherkaoui.
The fifth Nigerian player in the quarterfinal, Yahaya Sani Inabo, will be seeking a semifinal berth when he takes on Mahmoud Shady Salem from Egypt in what will be an interesting encounter on Thursday.
In the female event, Toluwalashe Agunbiade and Etoro Bassey will battle it out for a spot in the final after an eventful quarterfinal match for both players.
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Bassey from the GEUF Tennis Academy in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom, had to come back from a set down against Goodnews Aina, to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 while Agunbiade thrashed America’s Sewuese Matthew in two straight sets of 6-4, 6-1.
In the second semifinal clash, Success Ogunjobi will have her hands full when she takes on Milana Viktoria Ronert from the USA in a mouthwatering encounter.
Nigeria Tennis Live will continue to bring our followers updates from the competition which will reach its climax on Sunday, 23 February, 2025.