Despite not winning the tournament, Dabira Oluwaseyi was among the biggest winners at the recently-held Adewale Isa Foundation Tennis Tournament in Lagos.
The 11-year-old tennis prodigy reached the final of the competition, playing out a very entertaining match against eventual winner, Mambubat Rasaki, before losing during the match tiebreak.
This feat was a new height reached by the youngster who had not taken a set off the talented Rasaki in their previous meetings, and opened her up to possibilities of what lies ahead for her tennis.
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Organizers of the junior tournament adjudged her the most outstanding Girls’ U-12 player during the closing ceremony and was showered with encomium for her hard work and character off and on the court.
Alongside winning a racket as part of the prizes for the finalist, she also got a pack (which contained a cash gift) from the organizers, but that was not all for the Abuja-based tennis player. A benevolent Nigerian also gave her N1,000,000 for reaching the final of the Adewale Isa tennis event.
According to the youngster: “My Mum’s boss at work knew I was playing tennis and he has watched me play at the national stadium during one of my training sessions and just told me to keep up the good work”.
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She further explained that the promise made was for her to win the tournament but that the man gave him the money regardless after reaching the final.
“He promised to send me one million naira when I reached the final. I think he made the promise before I reached the final, because he promised that I would get the money if I won the tournament,” the 11-year-old stated.
On how she felt after the receiving the alert in her account after the win, Oluwaseyi noted that: “I felt surprised, excited and confused and I really wanted to win. I was confused because that was someone who had just watched me play once.
“As a fresh millionaire, I will leave the money in my account for now. I didn’t think someone could make that kind of promise and fulfil it. It makes me feel important and that I have to do more to make the person proud.
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“Mostly, I’m happy. For someone to put that kind of trust in me, I feel like someone is trying to push me up”.
Nigerians should be on the look out for this tennis youngster who has been described as one of the best tennis talents to come out of Nigeria in recent times.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep monitoring the activities of the youngster in the coming years as she continues with her tennis development.