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34th CBN Tennis Open: Babalola Chases Imonite’s Record

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The 34th edition of the just-concluded
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Tennis Open took a different turn as it
recorded come-back winners in the Men’s and Ladies singles events.
The tournament, organised by the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) was
held between May 3 and May 12 at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Favourites Abulmumuni Babalola, seeded two and Fatima Abinu, seeded one,
returned as the Men’s and Ladies Singles champions respectively at the end of
the competition.

Babalola beat Shehu Lawal, seeded three,
6-3, 6-4 to lift the Men’s Singles trophy while Abinu defeated unseeded Sarah
Adegoke, current African U-14 champion, 6-4, 6-3 to lift the Ladies Singles trophy.

Babalola had earlier won the competition
three times, in 2002, 2006 and 2009 to record the second highest winner after
legend David Imonite who had won it seven times.

The annual competition began in 1979 with
Kehinde Ajayi as the maiden champion who also retained the trophy in 1980.

Remi Osho dethroned Ajayi in 1981, but
Imonite took over in 1982 and won it three times consecutively.

He was dethroned by Sadiq Abdullahi in 1985
who also retained the trophy in 1986, but Imonite in 1987 dethroned Abdullahi
and came back to win the competition again three times consecutively.

Imonite was dethroned by Segun Balogun in
1990 before he won it for the last time in 1991 to complete his seven times
record.

“It will be difficult for me to break
Imonite’s record, he has won it three consecutive times twice, but I have not.

“I will need to break the three times
consecutive record first before meeting his record of seven times champion,”
Babalola told newsmen after defeating Shehu.

Tournament’s referee, Saidu Musa, described
Babalola’s performance in the tournament as ‘really a come-back one’ as he
played the game with his heart.

“I commend his effort. He played the game
with much determination and zeal, he was more reserved and did not allow for
detraction throughout his matches,’’ he said.

In the Ladies, Abinu has only tallied with
the record of Osaro Amadin who has won it four times but was yet to meet the
record of Veronica Oyibokia won has won it record eight times.

Anne Abimiku, was the maiden champion in
1979 and retained it the following year before Esther Onyekwelu dethroned her
in 1981.

Rolake Olagbegi dethroned Onyekwelu in 1982
but Onyekwelu returned in 1983, only for Oyibokia to win it four record times
between 1984 and 1987.

Oyibokia was dethroned by Nosa Imafidon in
1988, came back in 1988 and won it three consecutive times between 1989 and
1991 to complete her seven year record.

Amadin achieved her four times record by
winning it in 1997 and three times running from 2003 to 2005.

Abinu first won it in 2007, she was
dethroned by Christy Agugbom in 2008 but regained her title in 2009.

She successfully defended her title in
2010, was again dethroned in 2011 by Biola Akewula, but came back to win it in
2012 to complete her four times winner.

“I am looking forward to meet Oyibokia’s
record; I still have age on my side.

“This remains the source of my confidence
to meet that record and even beat it,’’ Abinu said.

Another female player who made record in
the competition was tennis prodigy, Adegoke.

Unseeded Adegoke stunned spectators as she
rode on the back of other seeded players to qualify for the final.

Adegoke’s coach, George Odiong, said that
Adegoke would definitely emerge the tournament’s champion next year

The Men’s and Ladies Singles champions went
home with N600, 000 each while their runners-up went home with N400,000 each.

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.

Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.

Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.

But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.

Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.

It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.

Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.

“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.

For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.

Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.

His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.

Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.

Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.

The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.

“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”

Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.

The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.

“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”

He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.

“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”

 

Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.

The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).

Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.

Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.

Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.

Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.

Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.

Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.

The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.

 

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