Tennis: Nigeria’s Oiza Gets Sweet Revenge in AJC Second Leg Semifinals, Ibrahim’s Fine Form Continues

Nigeria’s Oiza Yakubu put behind her first leg quarterfinal loss to Togo’s Valentine Talaki to beat the Togolese in the semifinals of the 2nd leg of the African Junior Circuit Under-14 tournament in Lome, Togo on Wednesday.

Oiza will go on to face Ivory Coast’s Lili-Bell Minet for a place in the final.

Also in the girls’ singles, Iye Onoja will face Benin’s Gloriana Nahum in the semifinals after securing an overwhelming victory over Eliaza Hongofa 6-1, 6-2.

Suleiman Ibrahim continued in his fine form in the boys’ singles as he sealed a semifinal berth with a very comfortable 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ivory Coast’s Paterne Kaouadio.

Ibrahim will hope to equally serve Togo’s Isaac Padio a plate of defeat in their second meeting in three days after the later defeated him in the final of the first leg.

In the other boys’s single game, Ganiyu Mubarak failed to join the semifinal train after Yakubu-Lea Abubakari edged him by 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 in the quarterfinals.

In the doubles event, the duo of Suleiman Ibrahim and Gabriel Inyang couldn’t get past their first hurdle in the second leg, as Ghana’s Lameck Bagerbaseh and Raphael Ankrah inflicted a  2-6, 7-6, 10-5 defeat on both Nigerians meanwhile, the pair of Ganiyu Mubarak and John Oche despite combining well to reach the quarterfinals got eliminated by Gillian Nahum and Yakubu-Lea Abubakari.

Iye Onoja and Mary Udoffa did well to reach the quarterfinals of the girls’ double made but fell to the pair of Valentine Talaki and Grace Tchamoussa.

Oiza Yakubu and her Ivorain partner Ranya Diabete despite receiving a first round bye to move straight to the quarterfinals lost to Rodia Noudogbessi and Gloriana Nahum of Benin.

Esther Oni’s partnership with Togo’s Ishane Dermane didn’t prove solid as they got eliminated by the duo of Benin’s Saidath Ponthy and Eliaza Honfoga in the second round.

The competition continues at the Stades Omnisports de Eyadema in Lome, Togo.