Nigerian tennis bookmakers may soon heave a sigh of relief following the consistent performance of youngster Oiza Yakubu, a fast rising tennis player who is taking Nigeria and Africa by storm.
Many tennis enthusiasts in the country believe that the female players are not always up to the task against theit counterparts from other parts of the world, but the exploits of the likes of Oyinlomo Quadri, Marylove Edwards, Angel McCleod and now Oiza Yakubu, may make them have a rethink.
The young Yakubu, who is representing Nigeria at the African U-14 tournament in Togo, is giving a good account of herself and living up to her pre-tournament billing as a player to defeat, as she came from a set down to defeat a tough opponent Noudogbessi 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 in their first match of the competition.
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| Team Nigeria still remains optimistic as the championship progresses. |
Of all the girls that played on Wednesday, only Oiza managed a win, and she did it in such a dramatic fashion, Nigerian Tennis Live can report.
Coach Richard Inyang who led the team to Togo, told our correspondent that the team had really tough draws in the competition and had to face stern oppositions in the first leg of the two-week competition.
According to him, the boys played two matches each, winning and losing one respectively, therefore they are playing for position in the 32-team draw.
The girls on the other hand, lost all their matches with the exception of Yakubu whose win now puts her in pole position to win the title.
“I am very much impressed with the performance of the players, knowing fully well that we just stepped into this Under-14 category.
“The spirit in our camp is still very high and we will be going back on court this morning to play. We will get even better in the second leg, I’m sure,” Coach Inyang told Nigerian Tennis Live.
Nigeria’s number all-Nigeria tennis blog will make sure we continue following the players’ progress and give a regular update on their performance.