The quartet of Marylove Edwards, Oiza Yakubu, Iye Onoja and Suleiman Ibrahim are leading Nigeria’s quest for gold in the final round of matches at the first phase of the African Junior Tennis Championship (AJC) qualifier taking place at the Stade D’Omnisport, Lome, Togo.
The Nigerian contingent led by Coach Abel Ubiebi, have continued to step up their game in the West African country and have landed in four finals out of a possible eight.
With gold already in sight, Coach Abel seems to be firing the kids up to give their best where it matters the most.
The Nigerian duo of Oiza Yakubu and Iye Onoja have a date to help Nigeria clinch gold at the Girls U-14 Doubles final on Thursday.
While US-based Edwards is in the Girls 16 singles after a fairytale run in the competition, Oiza and Onoja are hopefuls of a first place finish in the Girls 14 Doubles.
The young Suleiman has also been arguably Nigeria’s most consistent player in the tournament after Edwards as he raced to the Boys 14 finals in the Singles and Doubles.
Nigeria Tennis Live gathered that in the matches that will be played later today, Sulaiman will partner Mubarak, a fellow Nigerian, to tackle a tough combination of Togolese players for gold in Doubles but will face a Cameroonian opposition in the Singles final.
Edwards also has her work cut out as she faces home girl Dotse in their Girls U-16 final in front her home fans while Oiza and Onoja will be flying Nigeria’s flags in the girls U-14 Doubles final.
Asked how the players were faring going into the final round of matches, Coach Abel stated categorically that they are all excited about the final and are leaving no stone unturned.
“They are really looking forward to the finals. They feel energetic and look set to win gold for Nigeria,” the workaholic coach told Nigeria Tennis Live from Lome, Togo.
Our correspondent will keep tabs with the players and update our followers as new developments unfold.