Seyi and Seun Ogunshakin were the major focus of spectators as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Junior Tennis Championship ended in Lagos on Saturday, 27 March, 2021.
The boys from Ekiti confirmed that their performances over the years have not been one-offs as they strolled into the finals of three age categories.
While Seun won the two finals he qualified for, his younger brother, Seyi, bottled a 7-2 lead to lose 9-7 in his entertaining and emotional encounter with Onyekachi Ogunjiofor in the boys 12&Unders final.
Ogunjiofor had started the match on a good slate, piling enough pressure on his rather distracted opponent.
But Seyi, whose father is also a coach and tennis official, rose to the occasion, gained his confidence and raced to an astronomical 7-2 lead.
A dedicated and focused Ogunjiofor, however, maintained his cool, with a properly executed game plan, and handed his opponent an unforgettable defeat to the excitement of tennis fans inside the Lord Rumen’s Centre Court of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos.
Seun on the other hand, knew what he had to do, and was quite clinical in finishing both opponents in the Boys 14&16 and Unders final matches.
In the process, he got his revenge over long time rival, Ganiyu Mubarak, who had the better of him at the finals of the AZIMUTH Shipping Lines Junior Tennis Championship in Lagos a few years ago.
His wins also meant he was qualified for the International Tennis Association (ITA) educational grant of one hundred thousand naira (N100, 000) given to players who win in two different categories.
Seun became the first player to win in years after the impressive Marylove Edwards had won it before moving to the United States.
The youngster ended the tournament as the most valuable player of the completion and was duly rewarded for his efforts.