Tough battles await top seeds as CBN Junior Tennis Championship begins

Followers of Nigeria’s junior tennis are in for an exciting time at the 2024 CBN Junior Tennis Championship, which served off yesterday, in Lagos with the top seeds in the six events pitted against emerging talented players.

The CBN Junior Championship features singles events in three age categories – boys and girls 12s, 14s, and 16s. One expected challenge will be in the Boys 12s where Goodluck Tersoo, a rising star from Benue State, has signaled his intention to grab the title from defending champion, Ikem Amasiani, by beating his first-round opponent, Ahmed Khalid, from Lagos10-2, 10-3.

The group matches are decided by super tiebreak sets. With Gloria Samuel, 13, the girls’ U-14 champion moving up to the 16s, the age group is now open for junior tennis sensation, Mofi Atilola (11) to continue her meteoric rise to the top if she can defeat Sarah Adisa from Ondo State, in their expected showdown.

The boys’ U-16 event, which has four seeded players who have improved remarkably in the last six months, is expected to be the most exciting and competitive.
Seyi Ogunsakin from Ekiti, Dubem Amasiani from Abuja, David Edwards from Lagos State, and Gbolahan Olawale from Ondo State head four groups and are expected to emerge for the semifinal knockout round.

The tournament will end on Saturday with the grand finale taking place at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.