Sports
Nigerian Players Upbeat Over Governor’s Tennis Cup
Nigerian players participating in the ongoing Lagos Governor’s Cup Tennis Championships have promised a better performance to make up for their past poor showings.
Tidesports source reports that in the past nine editions, no Nigerian player had reached the quarter-finals of the two-legged competition.
The players who spoke with Tidesports source on Monday in Lagos said they were better prepared for the current championships than the previous ones.
“I think we have gained more experience with some of us taking part in the previous editions. Our performance in the past are not due to a lack of skill but exposure.
“But 10 years in any continuous competition with almost the same players participating in three of four editions are enough for any player to have good experience to do well,” Shehu Lawal said.
Fatima Abinu said the long training the Nigerian players had before the competition would help to improve their performance.
“I think we are better prepared for the competition than in the previous editions.
“The Nigeria Tennis Federation organised training for all Nigerian players who qualified for the championships in Kaduna, Ado-Ekiti and Port Harcourt.
“These have prepared us for the championships and put us in a competition mood unlike before that we all trained on our own and not as a team,” Abinu said.
A former national champion and coach, Thomson Onibokun, said the lack of exposure was responsible for the country’s poor showings in the championships.
“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves at this stage; we are not progressing in the game at all, compared to the 1960s and 1970s when Nigeria dominated tennis in Africa.
“Now it is a shame that Togo and Cote d’Ivore are doing better than us in tennis.
“Some of our players do not even have standard equipment to play with. The only way out of this is to invest in the game.
“There should be provision for standard equipment, sponsored local competitions at least twice a year and our players should be exposed to international competitions,” Onibokun said.
Meanwhile, in some of the matches played on Monday, Nigeria’s Candy Idoko defeated Shtelfen Solomon of South Africa 6-1, 6-4.
Clifford Enosoregbe of Nigeria defeated compatriot Henry Atseye, 6-4, 7-5 and Abuldmumuni Babalola beat Valentin Sanon of Cote d’Ivore 6-4, 6-2.
Kingsley Enosoregbe, also of Nigeria, defeated compatriot Samuel Omoile 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, while Nigeria’s Lawal Shehu lost to Ruan Roelofese of South Africa 6-1, 6-3.
In the women’s category, Fatima Abinu beat Alexandra Riley of the U.S. 6-1, 6-4 and Esther Masuri of Israel defeated Natalia Piqion of France 6-1, 6-1.
Nigeria’s Blessing Samuel defeated her compatriot, Oluwaseun Ogundare, 6-1, 6-4 in the last game.
The Nigeria Football Federation has defended the recent quarter-finals draw for the 2025 President Federation Cup, saying it was conducted in line with best global practices.
A member of the NFF Executive Committee Board, George Aluo, stated that criticism over venues for the quarterfinals was unfortunate.
Going by the fixtures released on Saturday by the football body, Abakaliki FC will take on Nasarawa United in Benin, Wikki Tourists will clash with Ikorodu City in Bwari, Abuja, Akwa United and Kwara United will fight it out in Enugu, just as Area 3, Abuja, will host the encounter between Rangers International and Plateau United. All matches are scheduled for May 3rd for the emergence of semifinalists in a leg affair.
However, there have been criticisms over the Ikorodu United vs Wikki Tourist tie billed for Abuja, with a section of the press saying the venue is skewed in favour of the Bauchi team.
Aluo, also the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), said: “Some of our media men need better education, and newsmen should not be like the fans out there on the streets. In the English FA Cup, it is always a one-legged pairing that can see a club like Arsenal host Manchester United at home”.
A new contract that will see Act Sports Di Oyibo Limited managing the career of Nigerian teqball specialist, Victor Oyemade, has been signed in Lagos.
The deal gives exclusive rights to Act Sports to manage, and exercise power of attorney over issues relating to the player’s welfare as it concerns his transactions, engagement for professional, promotional, sponsorships, endorsements, and exhibition purposes.
In signing the document, both parties also agreed that proper safeguards would be put in place to protect and promote the player’s interest at all times.
Director of Act Sports, Di Oyibo Limited, Pastor Samuel Robinson Oyibo, excited about the deal, said it would benefit both parties in the area of spreading the message of the sport, as well as laying a firm foundation for his new client’s future.
“Teqball is one of the world’s fastest-growing ball sports, and Victor Oyemade is the face of the sport here in Nigeria and Africa. That is why we are excited about this partnership that gives Act Sports official authorisation to manage his career, just as it will lay the foundation for its rapid growth in our country,” Pastor Oyibo said.
Oyemade was no less excited about the deal, saying it would help his growth in the sport.
Coaches of Nigeria’s U-18 and U-20 women’s handball teams have released their final lists of 14 players ahead of the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase, which will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that commenced yesterday to end 24th of this month.
The two teams have been training at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos, for close to two weeks and departed for the competition on Thursday.
Coach John Uzor of the national U-18 team has included Omole Joy of Defender Babes and her sister Omole Shola alongside Ojie Princess of Funad Academy alongside right back Faisat Balogun in the mix while Success Duru, Chetachi Ngaodurubie of COAS Babes and Sharon Okonkwo make the cut, amongst other players.
In the U-20 team, Coach Shittu Agboola has largely stuck with the players he has been grooming since their U-18 days. The team is led by Captain Chidera Ogbusimba alongside, her Rima Queens teammates the Samuel Sisters, Amina Mohammed and Joy Peters.
Israel-based Rahima Bello, Kehinde Babatunde of ASPAC HBC of Benin Republic and Esther Mathew, who is also based in Benin Republic, keep their places.
Coach Shittu believes his team will make Nigeria proud just as they did previously at the U-18 level.
“I am really upset that Taiwo Babatunde will not be part of the team for this competition as her school, Yaba College of Technology, insisted that they will not release her for national service because of examinations.
“We did everything humanly possible to secure her release and they didn’t care that it is a national service for the interest of Nigeria and the growth of sports. We have other players who are also students and they got a release from their schools but for no tangible reason, Yabatech refused to release Taiwo despite the fact that we did everything possible to secure her release. It’s sad and I hope the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Sports Commission will work in tandem so that schools will support our goal in making Nigeria proud in sporting events”.