Dalung, Yakmut To Grace
THE 2016 ITF/CAT West and Central Africa Junior Championship will end today at the National Tennis Centre, Abuja with host nation, Nigeria sealing final places in all but one of the categories in the singles events while the country is in all the six finals of the doubles scheduled for Friday evening.

However, a stern test awaits Nigeria in the finals of the Boys’ and Girls’ 16&u categories.

Adetayo Adetunji made a light walk of Aichatta Kaita of Mali in Friday’s semifinal with a 6-1, 6-0 win but the South Arica-based player will have her hands full as she confronts Linda Eloundou of Cameroun in the Girls’ 16&u.

The U.S.-based Elondou has been in mercurial form, same as Adetunji, as both players are yet to drop a set all championship, and the manner of her rigid performance against McLeod, whom she defeated 6-4, 7-6,  means the Nigerian must work up her socks to win the gold.

If Adetunji’s task is daunting, the one that awaits Christopher Bulus in the Boys’ 16&u final is Herculean, to say the least,  as he confronts Frederic Coulibaly of Cote d’Ivoire who on his part edged Nigeria’s Christopher Itodo 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Bulus puts up a resilient performance to beat Dalmas N’tchaa of Benin Republic 7-6, 7-6 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

Nigeria is assured of gold and silver in the Boys’ 14&U as Michael Osewa beats Charles Alipoe of Togo 6-2 , 6- 3 to set up a meeting with Friday Gabriel, a 7-5, 6-4 victor over Eliakin Coulibaly of Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria is also assured of top-two finish in the Girls’ 14&u final which will be between Marylove Edwards, a 10-year-old debutant, who defeated Cameroun’s Anna Lemongo 7-6, 6-0 and Oyinlomo Quadri, who also defeated another Camerounian, Manuella Eloundou, 7-5, 6-2. To make the match a puzzle, Lemongo had beaten Quadri in the group match while Marylove was defeated by Eloundou in their group meeting.

The Boys’ 12&u will be also be an all-Nigeria affair as Daniel Adeleye and Sulaiman Ibrahim battle for supremacy following 6-3, 6-3 and 6-0, 6-0 semifinal wins over Friday Inyang Nigeria) and Hob Abalio Padoi of Togo. In the Girls’ 14&u, Nigeria’s Timiprie Maxwell lost 7-6(4), 6-4 to Indira Mafo Ronkan of Gabon and will now meets Cameroun’s Patricia Wamba in the final.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister, Mr. Solomon Dalung and Director General of the National Sports Commission, Dr. Alhassan Yakmut are scheduled to lead the roll call of dignitaries for the final of the 12-nation tournament, which serves as qualifier for the African Junior Championship billed for March in Pretoria, South Africa.