John Nubari and Rebecca Ekpenyong, at the weekend in Calabar, dusted the field to win the second Renewed Hope and People First National Tennis Open Championship, which featured players from across the country.

Sponsored by immediate past Minister of Sports, John Owan Enoh, the competition saw the players keeping tennis enthusiasts on their feet at the hard court of the Calabar Sports Club 1898.

Nubari and Rebecca defeated Timipre Maxwell and Aliyah Precious in the men and women’s categories, respectively, to walk away with cash prizes, gifts and trophies.

Some of the top stars at the championship were Amarachi Odoh and Aliya Precious, who is currently the country’s U-16 champion.

At the end of the competition, Senator Enoh donated tennis equipment to the Cross River Tennis Association to train young tennis talents and organize national tournaments.

Speaking at the event, Enoh, who is currently the Minister of State for Industry, said. However, he is no longer Sports Minister, he would continue to support the growth and development of tennis and football in Cross River State.

He said: “I will continue to give young Cross Riverians, who show excellence and hard work, the platform to excel right to the zenith of tennis and football.”

He promised to increase the prize money through every edition of the tournament and challenged players in the state to make it to the finals.
The minister also announced his plan for a football talent hunt across Cross River State early in 2025, stating that early exposure is good for football talents.

He commended Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, for his passion towards sports development in the state, just as he acknowledged the enthusiasm of the Sports Commissioner, Agnes Atsu.

He noted that Team Cross River’s performance at the eighth National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, showed great improvement from their previous performances, saying that the results testified to the efforts by the leadership of the state in sports development.