By Vivian Ahanmisi

Young tennis players from Nigeria and eight other countries are competing for international ranking points at the second edition of the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J30 tournament in Lagos.

The competition, organised by Tiger Tennis Foundation, is providing emerging talents with valuable international exposure and opportunities to test their abilities against foreign opponents.

The participating countries are Nigeria, Sweden, Poland, India, France, the United States, Great Britain, the Republic of Benin and Italy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tournament is being staged in two legs, with the first running from Nov. 2 to Nov. 7 and the second scheduled for Nov. 9 to Nov. 14.

The tournament, holding at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, features boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles events.

Matches feature group-stage encounters under a round-robin format, allowing players multiple opportunities to compete and demonstrate their abilities.

The format also provides participants with more match experience while determining those who progress to the quarter-finals.

Paul Moses, Tournament Director and CEO of the foundation, told journalists on Thursday the tournament was helping young players develop their skills and prepare for higher-level competitions.

Moses described the standard of play as encouraging, noting the determination and technical abilities displayed by participants.

“The quality of play has been encouraging. The players have shown good skills and determination,” he said.

He said the competition was designed to provide a pathway for promising juniors to gain experience and improve their international rankings.

“Our goal is to provide a platform for young players to improve, gain experience and prepare for bigger competitions,” he said.

Nigeria’s Seyi Ogunsakin and Goodnews Aina are leading the country’s challenge as its highest-ranked players in the boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively.

Aina, an Ekiti-born player, expressed satisfaction with her ranking, attributing her position to hard work and commitment. “I feel happy because I worked for it,” she said.

However, an injury forced her to retire from the singles event, ending her ambition of winning both singles and doubles titles.

“I wanted to win both events, but injuries did not allow me. I could not finish the match,” she said.

Aina said she remained hopeful of winning the doubles title and improving her performance at next week’s tournament.

Meanwhile, Indian player Aanya Penmecha described the competition as exciting, praising the quality of the courts and opportunities to interact with other players.

She said she had enjoyed her experience in Lagos and hoped to build on her singles performance in the doubles event.

“I hope I can do well in my doubles. I did well in my singles, but I hope I can do better in my doubles,” she said.

Penmecha identified winning the competition as her ultimate ambition. “My goal is to win. Just to win,” she added.

Nigeria’s players have recorded some victories, with Elisha Kwange defeating Italy’s Ivo Sampayo 6-2, 6-3 in the boys’ singles qualifying matches.

David Edwards also secured a convincing 6-2, 6-0 victory over Terungwa David.
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The competition has also attracted spectators, who praised the standard of play and the determination displayed by the young athletes.

Some described the matches as closely contested and entertaining, highlighting the players’ resilience and fighting spirit.

The tournament offers Nigerian junior players an opportunity to earn international ranking points and gain competitive exposure without travelling outside the country. (NAN)

Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo