Players face tight schedule at NCC Tennis League
NIGERIAN tennis players yearning for a lot of tournaments and matches to sharpen their skills will have a surfeit of games as the NCC Tennis League looks set to run through a very tight schedule culminating in the grand finale on Sunday, December 9 With the Dala Hard Court and the Rainoil Tennis Championships coming in between, Nigeria's senior tennis circuit is as loaded as it can possibly be.
The NCC Tennis League, which kicked off in Abuja in September, will have matches in five centres this weekend.
Lagos will feature two ties with newcomers Team Leadway Assurance hosting Team Next Generation from Abuja at the National Stadium Tennis Centre and Team CBN Futures taking on Team Kalotari from Port Harcourt at the Luik Tennis Club in Lekki.
The city of Warri, which is the home base of Team Orofina, will host Team Anambra, while Team Offikwu of Kaduna will have to make their home advantage count against Team SBL of Jos.
The last match of the weekend will take place in Ado Ekiti where a reinforced Team Yetade will be up against debutant Team Luik from Lekki - Lagos. “We are very happy that we can have these many matches in the last quarter of the year. The players will definitely raise their fitness and skill levels from continuous practice and tournament play. That can only bode well for tennis development in Nigeria,” Godwin Kienka, director of the ITA which runs the competition, said.
This weekend's ties will be followed by a midweek schedule - Tuesday and Wednesday - taking place in six locations with the star matches taking place in Lagos and Port Harcourt.