Tennis Whizkids Make Debut At CBN Juniors

Samuel, 8, son of national female tennis champion, Omotayo Ibrahim and Terry, a six year-old Indian whizkid from the Ikoyi club, will make their competition debut at the Central Bank Junior Tennis Championships starting in Lagos Tuesday, May.8 to Sunday May 13 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.

Samuel practices daily alongside his mother and has been considered a natural talent by many. Terry also receives regular coaching and has caught the eye of many tennis lovers including expatriates who have expressed the desire to invest in the boy's career.

Tournament organiser, Godwin Kienka, of the International Tennis Academy said: "It is a good thing that the youngest competitors in the country are going to be playing their first tournament at the Central Bank Junior Championships. Hopefully when they become world stars we can look back and say, 'it all started here.'"

Meanwhile entries have flooded the ITA office from tennis clubs, institutions and States. Organisers say they are looking forward to potential rivalries in some of the age categories. One of them will be in the girls' 12 with a possible final between Rebecca Kwange of Niger State and Abuja based Katherine Alex from Serbia based in Abuja. Rebecca won the most outstanding player on the NNPC Junior Circuit as a 10 year old while Katherine won the Girls' 12 in the last junior tournament of the circuit in Kaduna.

The winners of the boys and girls 16s are in line for wild cards from the Nigeria Tennis Federation for the Central Bank Senior Championship starting a week later.