Ogunsakin Hits Top 800, Yakubu Soars High In New ITF Ranking

Nigerian players have hit top ITF ranking spots after their amazing performances at the first leg of the J30 Abuja event which ended on Sunday, 18 February, 2024.

The ranking released by the ITF on Monday, 19 February, saw many of the Nigerian youngsters flying high on the rankings with the likes Seun Ogunsakin and Ohunene Yakubu, the Boys and Girls Singles winners reaching top 800 and 700 respectively.

Nigeria Tennis Live checks showed that Ogunsakin, whose last ranking was 1129 before the final match where he defeated Daniel Adeleye, is now ranked 760 in the world.

Yakubu, who also claimed her Girls Singles J30 title on Sunday, has moved to 667 from her 838 world ranking before the competition serves off last weekend.

She remains the number one ranked Nigerian female player on the junior ITF ranking and is odds-on favourite to retain the title in the second leg.

READ ALSO: How Ogunsakin Defeated Adeleye To Win His First Ever J30 Title In Abuja

Etoro Bassey, who lost to Yakubu in the finals, also rose significantly in the latest ranking, as she now ranks 1152 in the world, moving 356 places from her initial 1509 ranking spot.

Also, Yahaya Sani Inabo who played to the quarterfinal of the competition in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital, moved 559 places to now sit 1522 in the world while Destiny Okhinaye is now ranked 1830 after moving 629 places on the latest ranking.

Osarehun Osayimwen was also one of the biggest movers, as she leapt 645 places to sit 1693 in the world.

Adeleye remains Nigeria’s highest ranked male junior player on the ITF rankings despite losing the final to Ogunsakin. He dropped four places to rank 348 in the world.

Joseph Franklin Jimoh also maintained his second spot on the rankings even though he moved 10 places to now sit 685 in the world, just one spot ahead of Ogunsakin, who’s now Nigeria’s third highest-ranked male player on the ITF.

Mubarak Ganiyu, Ikenna Prosper Okonkwo and Tobi Agboola also moved 54, 41, 451 places respectively to sit 914, 958, 1885 on the newly released ranking by the ITF.