Ekiti State-based players benefited the most from the just concluded Azimuth Shipping Lines Junior Tennis Championships as two of their four players who made it to the final, won their matches, Nigeria Tennis Live reports.
Seun Ogunshakin, Daniel Adeleye, Adewusi Faith and Esther Oni were the four players who made it to the finals of the Boys’ U-12, Boys’ U-16, Girls’ U-12 and Girls’ U-14 but only Ogunshakin and Oni were crowned champions at the end of the competition.
Seun Ogunshakin holds his trophy over his head after emerging winner in the U-12 boys final at the Azimuth Shipping Lines Junior Tennis Championships.
Ogunshakin, who was a losing finalist in the first edition of the tournament, made sure he did not repeat the mistake of 2018, by defeating his opponent to emerge as champion for the first time while Adeleye’s fears about David Dawariye from Rivers State were actualised when the pair took to court.
Adeleye had raced to a 2-0 lead after breaking his lanky opponent to take the first serve, but a lack of composure and unforced errors ensured that Dawariye punished him and took the first set.
The second set was even easier for the Rivers player, as his Ekiti State counterpart who is Nigeria’s number one boys’ U-14 player, could not hold the fort anymore. Dawariye won in two straight and convincing sets.
In the girls’ category, Adewusi, the Ekiti State representative for the U-12 girls, could not catch up with Ogunshakin’s prowess on the court as she succumbed to a loss, but her U-14 colleague ensured that they returned home with two gold, two silver medals.