Precocious tennis talent on Saturday in Lagos sent shock waves through the country’s tennis space with a hard-fought victory over Goodnews Aina of the LEKMAK Tennis Academy in the final of the Zenith Bank Next Generation Masters tournament.

Atilola won 9-8 in the pro-set contest, and in the 10-point tiebreaker that decided the match, the girl, who will be 13 next month, showed a big heart, nimble feet and hands and led 9-2 with seven match points to spare.

The tournament was hosted by the Mainland Tennis Club at the National Stadium Surulere.

Speaking at the end of the contest, the Director of International Tennis Academy (ITA), Godwin Kienka, whose outfit organised the event, said: “To put her entire performance in context, her opponent Aina beat former national number one seed, Khadijat Mohammed, to reach the semifinal of the senior CBN Championships last year and two months ago paired Success Ogunjobi to win the Women’s doubles title of a senior national championship.

In the semifinals, Atilola beat Favour James from the GEUF Academy in Uyo, who was a finalist in the women’s doubles with Itoro Bassey. This was not a junior tournament.

“It was a pleasant surprise. We had given her a wildcard aware of her potential, and she came straight from a 14 & under ITF tournament in Zimbabwe, where she placed second and shocked everyone. I have never seen spectators so engaged at a tournament final in a long time.”

The boys’ final, which followed the girls’ event, became a footnote as spectators were still discussing what some of them called a miracle.

However, Seyi Ogunsakin from the LEKMAK Academy won the boys’ title by beating Joshua Maxwell from the Port Harcourt Club 9 – 4.

The tournament, which isolates the most promising juniors to take over from the senior champions, has produced all the senior champions at the senior national level, men and women, in the last five years.