Seun Ogunsakin’s impressive outing in J30 tennis championship in Tunisia has continued to bode well for the Nigerian prodigy.
His championship winning effort in Tunisia at the weekend has translated into a 100 spot climb in the latest Junior ITF rankings released yesterday.
The former African no. 1 U-14 player won the J30 tournament in Tunisia without dropping a set, adding it to the two he previously won in Abuja early this year.
According to the latest ranking, the 15 year old Ogunsakin is now 510th in the world, moving astronomically from the 611th spot he occupied prior to the commencement of the Tunisian tournament.
This new ranking is also the highest the Tunisia-based youngster has ever attained since he started playing ITF competitions a few years ago.
He now occupies 24th in the log of African players in the ITF rankings and is closing the gap on Daniel Adeleye, Nigeria’s highest ranked junior tennis player, who is currently ranked 332nd in the world.
Meanwhile, Ohunene Yakubu dropped 7 spots in the recent rankings after failing to reach the final of the J30 event recently held in Tunisia.
She currently sits as the 581st ranked junior player in the world and among the top 30 on the African continent as she continues with her tennis development at the ITF High Performance Centre in Tunisia.
Tag: lawn tennis
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Nigeria’s 3rd ranked tennis player Khadjat Mohammed will hope to continue her winning form today when she faces Nadine Hamrouni from Tunisia, in the second round of the African Junior Championships (AJC) in Algeria.
To progress, the J30 Abuja winner played against Modjo Okomo from Equatorial Guinea in one of the second matches of the day, comfortably beating her opponent 6-1, 6-1.
In the men’s version, Seun Ogunsakin, could not see off his Egyptian opponent Samih Mostafa, as the Nigerian lost in a final set battle.
In what looked like an upset, Mostafa, ranked 893 in the world junior rankings, took out Nigeria’s Ogunsakin, rated 628 and the tournament’s number four seed with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
The Nigerian teenager will now focus on the AJC Doubles event where he is the tournament’s number two seed, alongside Rosa De Arajue from Mozambique.
In the order of play for Wednesday, 17 April, Ohunene Yakubu, the tournament’s number four seed, will play against Algeria’s Houdar Benamar for a place in the quarterfinal of the tournament. -
Nigeria tennis players can be rest assured of home support in the 2024 Davis Cup Africa Group II qualifying rounds after the country secured rights to host the event.
The tennis players qualified for Group III of the Davis Cup alongside Ghana, following a superb run in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2023.
The Nigerian quintet of David Ekpenyong, Uche Oparaoji, Wilson Igbinovia, Peter Lawal and Christopher Bulus, guided by Coach Benson Ishicheli, were at their prolific best in Rwanda, where they sealed qualification to Group III.
Going by the hosting right confirmation, qualification for Group II will be staged in the country’s capital, Abuja after the bid to host the event was submitted early this year.
When asked by correspondent Damilare Okunola about the hosting right to the Davis Cup Qualifying, the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju said, “Yes, 15th July.”
An indication that Nigeria will be hosting the event from 15 July 2024.
Also confirming the news was the Secretary General of the Federation, Makpa Aliyu, who noted that it has now been made official by the ITF via a letter sent to the national body.
He said: “Yes, I can now confirm to you that Nigeria will be hosting the Davis Cup Group III qualifier this year.
“I have the letter sent by the ITF with me and I can confirm it to you, officially, that we are preparing to host the other nations.”
Namibia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Benin and Nigeria will be competing for two slots in Group II during the qualifying round. -
Tennis players and fans will not be able to enjoy the excitement of this year’s Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Open after organisers decided to put a hold on the competition.
The annual Championship which had consistently held for the last 45 years would take a break for the 2024 tennis season.
Confirming the development, the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju, however, explained that in the absence of the CBN Open, two other national events had been slated for the month of May.
They are the DavNotch and VEMP tennis tournaments.
This provisionally leaves tennis players in Nigeria with three national tournaments tentatively; the VEMP Open, DavNotch Senior Championship and the Dala Hard Court. -
Nigeria’s highest ATP ranked tennis player Christopher Bulus will kick off an 8 week tour of Europe today in Serbia.
Tennis Innovators Academy (TIA), Bulus’ academy in the US announced the news yesterday.
“ATP 1140 Chris Bulus will be touring Europe for the next 8 weeks looking for more ATP Points.” TIA wrote.
The US-based player who also helped Nigeria qualify for the Davis Cup Group III in 2023, is starting off with an $25k UTR event in Belgrade.
Having represented Nigeria at the last African Games in Ghana, Bulus explained that he would be starting the Euro tour in Serbia and could not wait to get back on the court after the Continental Olympics.
“Yeah I feel good. I have just been waiting eagerly to just want to go out there and compete since the Games,” Bulus told Nigeria Tennis Live.
Revealing his plans to climb the ATP ranking in the coming weeks, Bulus hoped to rake in as many points as possible from the tour.
“There’s always a goal for every tournament one participates in. For me, every time I step on the court, I want to give my best and win my matches and see where that leaves me at the end of the day. I have my personal target, but I’m keeping that to myself and just focus on the games, instead.” -
Four Nigerian players have qualified for the round of sixteen of the 13th African Games Tennis Tournament in Ghana.
The latest to progress was Uche Oparaoji who won Nigeria’s second match against Côte d’Ivoire’s Hoimian Martial.
Oparaoji beat the Ivorian 6-1, 7-6(5) on court 4 of the Borteyman Complex today to the admiration of the Nigerian team on the sidelines.
Now, Nigeria has four players in the R64 of the Men’s Singles event while the ladies’ R64 matches will serve off later today. -
Nigeria’s tennis team to the 13th African Games in Ghana could be weakened by the absence of one of the country’s key players.
David Ekpenyong, Nigeria’s number one player ruled himself out of the Games after his school in the United States refused to grant him permission to represent his fatherland.
Ekpenyong, one of Nigeria’s better players at the 2023 Davis Cup qualifiers in Rwanda, confirmed to Nigeria Tennis Live that he was not likely to play at the tennis event of the Games.
The J100 Accra winner is one of the players expected to lead Nigeria’s charge for gold at the week-long tennis event holding in Ghana, West Africa.
Ekpehon stated that he was not allowed to travel for the competition by his school since he is on scholarship and only recently arrived the United States from Nigeria.
“I’m really sad that I won’t be playing at the African Games because my school did not allow me leave.My coach really wanted me to play at the tournament because I was really looking forward to it, especially because it is a tournament that is held only once in four years.
“But my school wouldn’t permit me to leave because I’ve not been here for too long and I quite understand their worries,” David said.
Asked how his absence at the Games will make him feel, he said: “The truth is that I was already preparing for the Games. I was training hard for the Games and I really wanted to help Nigeria.
“But there’s really nothing I can do about it with this situation, I’ve already communicated this to the authorities, and I really hope they understand my situation.”
Nigeria had yet to conclude on the list of players representing the country at the tennis event of the African Games. -
Preparations have hit top gear for Nigeria tennis players in Abuja ahead of 13th African Games next month in Ghana.
Some of the players sweating it out in training include Uche Oparaoji, Anu Ayegbusi, Timibra Godsgift, Canice Abua, John David, Rebecca Ekpenyong, Abubakar Yusuf and Emmanuel Michael.
The players observe morning and evening training sessions under the tutelage of coach Rotimi Akinloye, the head of the NTF Technical Committee, ably assisted by Davis Cup coach, Benson Ishicheli.
Training resumes tomorrow with more players expected to join the team as preparations intensify ahead of the Games.