It was a tale of celebration for the Nigerian Team to the ongoing ITF/CAT West and Central African Under 12 Championship presently taking place in Benin Republic, as the boys and girls recorded outstanding wins.
Nigerian Tennis Live had reported that the boys were at the verge of qualifying for the main tournament in Morocco later in the year after recording two wins from their first two matches; and they lived up to that billing by defeating Togo 3-0 in their third match of the group.
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| The Nigerian players looking sharp after their win on Tuesday, they are poised to make the country proud in Benin Republic. |
This came as a sweet victory for the Nigerian side which is hoping to show the rest of Africa how rich the country is with talents and potentials, especially as their girls lost their first match of the championship.
But the girls were not disappointing themselves, as Iye Onoja was the star of the day, leading the girls to a 3-0 win over their Ivorian counterparts much to the admiration of the locals who thronged the tennis courts to watch the matches.
With these results, the boys’ U-12 team have been guaranteed a place in the main tournament coming up in August but will still play their last match against Ghana on Wednesday, 7 March, to continue topping the table while the girls will need an outright win against hosts Benin on Thursday, 8 March and hope the margin aids their qualification.
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| Proudly Nigerian tennis future stars. |
Coach Abel Ubiebi who led the team to the neighbouring country remains optimistic about Nigerian girls’ chances of qualifying for the main event in Morocco.
“The girls have proven that they have a fight in them, and that is what we are banking on to win Thursday’s match.
“I told you after the matches on Tuesday, that the children were in high spirits… their performances have proved that already. I believe they can finish it off on Thursday. Nigerians should keep believing and trusting the girls to deliver,” the ever-smiling Coach Abel told Nigerian Tennis Live from Benin Republic.