Top Senior National Players Subdue Juniors

Shehu Lawal and Margaret Olagundoye the number two ranked male and female players in the country, came through the challenge by the 16 and under champions of the NNPC Junior Circuit in Kaduna with their pride intact but not without a strong note of warning from the juniors who after an understandably nervous first set had a more competitive second set..

Lawal winner of the Dala hard court and Governors cup in Minna last year beat Vincent Itodo, 16, 6-2, 6-3 but had to save game points and breakpoints in three other games in the second set. Magaret Olagundoye, winner of the Central Bank championship last year beat Lolia Kienka, aged 14, 6-2, 6-2 but trailed 1-2 and 15-40 in the second set as her less experienced opponent let her off the hook with several overhit hots at crucial points in the match.

Said Olagundoye, "I was praying hard that the match should not go into three sets because I was not sure I could have coped. At this rate we are going to be in trouble very soon." Lawal who recently returned from some circuit tournaments in Europe said; "my strategy was to intimidate him (Vincent Itodo) from the outset by hitting the balls very hard whether I miss or not nad that worked in the first set but he apparently settled down in the second set."

Looking back at the match and possibly realising that the match was not as hard as she feared, Lolia said: "I feel like replaying the match right now." To ensure that the senior players did not compromise or patronise the uniors or the organisers their contract stipulated a 50% percent loss of appearance fees if they lost to the juniors. It was therefore no surprise that both senior players took nothing for granted and fought for every point like their lives depended on it.

Director of the International Tennis Academy, organisers of the circuit said the challenge will be regiular feature of the circuit tournaments until the junior break through. "With this baptism of fire and now realising that they have the ability to take on the seniors, I have a sneaky feeling that the result may be positively different the next time. Kienka said.

In other matches concluded before the challenge match, Evelyn Iorbo, 9 and her brother Gabriel both of the International Tennis Academy won the girls and boys 10 and under event despite playing on clay for the first time in their lives. The girls 12 was won by Katarina Alex of the Julius Berger club in Abuja who upset the number one seed Elshama

Benson from Jos. Umaru Balami now of the Co-foundation in Kaduna won the boys 12 beating Shedrack Yakubu of Kaduna Club

In the girls 14, Hadasa Benson beat Katarina Alex in the finals while Anthony Leo beat Co-foundation team mate Christian Paul for the boys 14 title. Daniel Igorche was runner-up to Itodo in the boys 16 while Kelechi Njoku was finallist in the girls 16 event.

The final was attended by an appreciable crowd of tennis enthusiasts ncluding the State Commissioner for sports, the chairman of the Kaduna State Tennis Association, President of the Kaduna club and member sof the Nigerian Tennis Federation. the Group Managing Director of the NNPC was represented by the Manager, Community Relations, Chief Dumo Oruobu.

Eighty two junior players and nine parents from different parts of the country attended the circuit tournament which was deferred from December last year due to the primary elections around the country. this years edition is expected to kickoff in Port Harcourt in April with the strong possibility of two of the circuit tournaments going international to enable the players earn points for ITF worldwide Junior ranking.