200 youngsters to feature in Azimuth Shipping Lines tennis tournnament

At least 200 Nigerian tennis players will feature in this year’s Azimuth Shipping Lines championship which serves off today in Lagos.

Most of the players are fresh from their participation at the ITF/ CAT West and Central Africa Junior Championship qualifiers in Lome Togo.

The week-long tourney will feature players representing 14 states in Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 categories.

Prominent among the gladiators that will set the tennis courts of the Lagos National Stadium on fire are the Yakubu sisters, Oiza and Nene while the likes of Gabriel Inyang, Serena Teluwo, Seun Ogunsakin, Daniel Adeleye, Suleiman Ibrahim, Canice Abua David Dawariye, Rebecca Ekpeyong and many others are also title contenders in their respective categories.

The tournament would serve off the domestic tennis calendar and is sanctioned by the Nigeria Tennis Federation who acknowledge the impact of the tournament in helping Nigeria to sustain its top status in the West and Central Africa region..

Tournament sponsor, Capt. Owolabi Martins promised that this year’s tournament, which is the third edition will be better in all ramifications from the previous ones.

The sponsor of the tournament recalled that the decision to award educational grants as part of rewards for top performers has reinvigorated the support of parents and coaches for the tournament.

“It’s not feasible that all of them will make a career in tennis and such education gets priority hence the decision to give grants to aid their schooling,” Martins said