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: NTF
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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.” -
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. -
Heads are spinning in disbelief after reports emerged that a Nigerian tennis coach allegedly impregnated one of his players.
The accused coach Yinka Akinrinade from Osun State was reported to had slept with two players, one of them, his 13 year old daughter during a competition in Lagos last September.
The second player he allegedly had carnal knowledge of, an unidentified 14-year-old player, reportedly took in and is said to be thirteen weeks pregnant as at the time this report was filed.
According to NigeriaTennisLive, the coach reportedly blamed the act on alcohol as he was said to be treating pile with a herbal drink prepared with alcohol.
He reportedly slept off naked in the room of the players where he claimed to had been running a fitness session with the girls, only to wake up the next day to ask if anything happened, to which they answered in the negative.
Since this report reached the tennis players and other officials, there have been a lot of reactions with a number of persons expressing disbelief, shock, embarrassment, among other emotional outbursts.
“No way! This is the height of it,” one of the respondents said just as another expressed disbelief that such an incident could have occurred.
“Sir, I don’t think this is a normal thing. That coach is a very, very nice guy. I feel sorry for his son’s career because he is turning out to be a good player,” another respondent noted.
One of the players who reacted to the report, however, noted that it was not a new occurrence, stating in fact, that she could have been a victim of sexual molestation if she had not stood her ground.
“It happens, and yes, I am a living witness. We don’t fall for their traps, instead, we see them as fools.
“It’s not only the coaches, the members in the tennis club also do this thing. They try to lure tennis girls, and tell them that they will sponsor them.
“A lot is going on, but the grace of God is protecting us from falling victim,” the female player who pleaded anonymity, offered.
One of the coaches who also responded to the report noted that if it is true, Akinrinade must have his license revoked if he is a licensed coach.
“This is really embarrassing to the noble profession of tennis. I am not sure this man is licensed but if he is, the license has to be revoked,” the coach who wouldn’t want his name mentioned explained.
Speaking on the new development, Engr. Ifedayo Akindoju, the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), said he was unaware of the situation.
He, however, noted, “Investigation will certainly reveal the truth.” -
Nigeria’s Davis Cup coach Benson Isicheli has described an invitational tennis tournament of private schools in Lekki Lagos as a great opportunity for junior players to explore the limitless benefits the sports provides.
The one day tourney which held last Friday at the Italian International School in Lekki saw over 70 students from 11 schools in attendance with coaches Benson and Henry Shadrach providing technical assistance to the kids.
“Some people are holding the rackets for the very first time. You can see from the way they played, the way they handled the racket. If their schools want them to continue or the kids want to continue, they can access the court and we can now train them on how to play tennis,” Benson said.
“Aside from building their motor skill and discipline, they can take it as a profession. There are two things to tennis basically, it’s either you take it as a profession or you use it to gain access to scholarship.”
Some of those practised movement by the players came to the fore when the green and red balls competitions served off.
In the green ball event for girls Mofifunoluwa Atilola beat Tiffany Osho
9-3 while Mohammed Okandeji defeated Tertema Ahenjir 14-12 to claim the boys’ crown.
Tesese Ahenjir from Green Springs School took out Grace Ebadan from Chalcedony School 7-2 in the girl’s red ball category just as Abdulmaleek Salau (Wadfat Private School) beat Chinonso Ajaelo from Chalcedony School 7-5 to win the boys’ top prize.
An enthusiastic Principal of Italian International School Mrs Paula Freddi confessed to the excitement and joy the grassroots tennis exercise had brought to her pupils.
“Starting from the fact that I love sports and I always try to increase the sport in the school and to accept the ideas that come from my coaches and instructors, so if they have a good proposal, I always try to say, yes, let us do it,” Mrs Freddi said.
“And this one was a very good idea to have kids coming from different schools. And even if my kids of the Italian School are not at this level to do a tournament, may be they can see that other kids of the same age are very good in playing and may be next time I hope they will be part of the tournament as well.’
Looking ahead to next year’s edition, the founder of HST Academy Mr Henry who is also the initiator of the tournament said that the 2024 competition would accommodate other sports like basketball, athletes, football, Chess and Tennis to make a mini school Olympics. -
The recently-released Junior International Tennis Federation ITF Rankings reflected progress or otherwise made by Nigerian players, some of whom have been busy with competitions lately.
The country’s number one David Ekpenyong (186), remains the top-ranked Nigerian male junior player in the ITF rankings even though he dropped three spots despite his second round reach at the Zapopan J300 event in Mexico.
He is closely followed by Daniel Adeleye (472), another Nigerian who has had an outstanding year in tennis despite dropping a spot.
Abubakar Yusuf (918) and Joseph Franklin Jimoh (948) make up the list of Nigerians in the top 1000 of junior world rankings.
Ezekiel Azi (1185), who was the biggest mover in the rankings, jumped 74 places to go above Seun Ogunsakin (1220) while Odeh Monday (1250), who climbed five spots is ahead of Mubarak Ganiyu (1272).
Ikenna Prosper (1331) and Suleiman Ibrahim (1426) make up the top 10 Nigerian boys in the rankings.
In the girls’ category, despite not playing any junior ITF event recently, Tunisia-based Ohunene Yakubu (865) continues to lead the pack while Etoro Bassey (1683), the buzzing tennis sensation from Akwa-Ibom follows in a distant second.
Newly-crowned National Champion, Khadijat Mohammed (1714) comes in third place, having dropped three spots recently.
She is followed by Oiza Yakubu (1920) who still remains in the rankings despite leaving the junior cadre of tennis already.
Blessing Otu (2013) and Mary Udoffa (2192) come in fifth and sixth respectively, Osaherun Osayimwen (2671), who has not played any junior tournament in recent years, follows in seventh position just as Sarah Musa (2877) joins in eighth.
Occupying the ninth and tenth positions on the list are respectively Sunmisola Okajare (2963) and Destiny Okinhaye (3021) both of whom have not had really positive outcomes in their recent Junior ITF events.