Team Nigeria ensured they easily erased the memories of their losses in the first phase of the ongoing ITF West and Central African Junior Championships in Lome, Togo, as they defeated their opponents in the team event with reckless abandon.
Nigeria Tennis Live had earlier reported that the team would face tests from Ghana, Mali and Cameroon, and the players did not disappoint, as they produced mouth watering results after their matches.
Results made available to our correspondent showed that in the Boys U-16, Nigeria defeated Mali 3-0 in a surreal atmosphere, in spite of the level of play from the opposition.
UK-based Andu Mukhtar began the day with a hard fought 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Diawara Thismokodjan, Kushimo finished off Maiga Alasse
in two straight sets of 6-0, 6-0 and the pair of Matthew Abamu and Mukhtar saw off the Malian partnership Maiga/Diawara with a superb 6-1, 6-1 win.
Coach Pat engaging the players in some pep talk before their matches on Saturday morning.
In the U-14 cadre for the boys, in form Ibrahim Suleiman did not waste time in setting the pace with a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Quatarra Mohammed while Nigeria’s Maxwell fell the hand of Fall Seydou with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
The Nigerian pair of Mubarak and Suleiman would later teach the Malian duo some tennis lessons in a tense 7-6, 6-3 victory in the doubles.
For the girls, it was almost a stroll in the park as Marylove Edwards led another onslaught against Ghana in the Girls 16 as she thoroughly thrashed Mackorly Naa in two straight sets of 6-1, 6-0 and in the second match, Rebecca Ekpeyong proved her mettle against Naa Ankrah, claiming a 6-4, 6-0 win.
But the team event was not that easy for the Nigerian team as the partnership of Edwards and Mary Udoffa almost suffered a loss after struggling to defeat the Naa sisters in the final set. The match ended 7-6, 1-6, 10-6.
In the Girls 14 matches against Cameroon, Nigeria seemed to be a little bit unlucky, as Iye Onoja, one of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls, lost 7-6, 7-5 in her fight against Attana Berach but silent pistol Oiza Yakubu made no mistake in defeating Akombo Rosaline, even though they played final set. The match ended 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
The Nigerian girls later partnered to ensure a final nail on the coffin for the Cameroonians, as they defeated the pair of Attana/Akombo 6-3, 1-6, 10-8.
Thus, Team Nigeria ended up winning 3-0 versus Mali in the Boys U-16, 3-0 versus Mali in the Boys U-14, 3-0 against Ghana in the Girls U-16 and 2-1 against Cameroon in the Girls U-14.
In the next round of matches, Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that the Nigerian players will be slugging it our against hosts Togo, Benin Republic and Burkina Faso.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep tabs on the players’ performances in Togo and keep updating our esteemed followers from all over the world.