Nigeria’s number two ranked Tennis player, Adeleye Daniel, a member of Nigeria Davis Cup Division one qualifiers bound team to Morocco, on Tuesday 1st of September, defeated top seed and Nigeria’s current number one ranked player, Abua Canice to win the maiden edition of Apex Tennis Tournament held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Tafawa Balewa Square ( TBS),Onikan, Lagos Island.
With a set down, Adeleye came from behind to beat Abua Canice 9-6 and pocketed the N2m star prize while Abua got N1.5m for emerging as the runners-up.
The third position went to 18 years old lady, Orunene Yakubu, who surprisingly out-stroked a male player, Kehinde Adesokan by 2-1 ( 0-4, 4-1, 9-4) to pocket N1m for her efforts.
Sponsor of the championship, Abraham Efemena, who also plays tennis, said the championship was created as a means of encouraging and supporting Nigerian Tennis players to have more tournaments that will keep them going and busy throughout the year, nothing that the players have been struggling with few tournaments every year and which is not encouraging.
Besides inadequate tournaments, the philanthropist also noted that sports equipments are too expensive in the country these days and that gave birth to the encouraging sum of N2 m, N1.5m and NIm Prize money awarded to the first, second and third place winners respectively besides the champions additional giant trophy, adding that the gesture is also aimed at helping the athletes (players,) get the needed equipment for training.
Abraham appreciated the participation of top ranked Nigeria Tennis players like Canice Abua, Adeleye Daniel, Michael Emmanuel, Abubakar Yusuf, Lucky Danjuma and Franklin Jimoh and others in the tournament which he said, contributed immensely in boosting the profile of the two-day championship.
Due to the encouraging turn-out and the standard of Tennis displayed during the tournament, Abraham promised that the championship has come to stay.
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