Nothing less than 200 children from schools both inside and outside of Lagos State are participating in the ongoing Lagos Schools’ Tennis Championship, which is being held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Onikan.
Sunday Igbinovia, the tournament coordinator, reported that 152 participants, including boys and girls in the U-10, 14, and 18 age groups, were formally registered to take part in the four-day competition, which is supported by the Allison and Oluremi Ayida Foundation.
The excited former national tennis player who now runs a tennis academy in Lagos, noted that he was not surprised by the turnout of the players, seeing that there are not so many tournaments for them to play despite their consistent training routines.
He said, “Day One is always a bit tough and filled with pressure from parents and coaches who attend the competition because it’s the first day of the competition.
“However, we always have to stand our ground and strictly follow the ITF rules, which are consistent across the globe. Tomorrow will be all about matches, and we plan to end the preliminary stages by then.”
Sunny Dee made reference to the fact that many of the top junior players from throughout the nation had also signed up to compete, indicating that the tournament would face strong competition.
“So far, we’ve had several top players from different states across Nigeria from 10–18. It’s an open event, and as I said, the prizes are very attractive, so it is not unusual to have this level of competition in the tournament,” he told journalists at the venue of the competition.
Speaking also on behalf of the sponsors, Laolu Akerele, expressed his delight at the number of participants and believes this is the beginning of something great for the foundation.
“I am delighted that the tournament by the Allison and Oluremi Foundation is underway. It has been a great start knowing that nearly 200 players registered and I cannot wait to see how the weekend pans out.
“This is the beginning of something special, and I am excited to see the final on Sunday, and I know that the talent of these children and young adults will be shown from the get go,” he said.
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