Nigeria’s top-ranked male doubles tennis player, Yusuf Abubakar, and the country’s highest-ranked female junior player, Ohunene Yakubu, emerged champions in the men’s and women’s singles events respectively at the Merit Tennis Open, held at the National Stadium tennis courts, Surulere, Lagos.
Abubakar defeated Daniel Adeleye, the current No. 1 player in the Nigeria Tennis Federation men’s singles rankings, to secure the men’s singles title and a ₦500,000 winner’s prize. Adeleye received ₦250,000 as runner-up.
In the women’s singles final, Yakubu overcame Bright Emmanuel to claim the ₦500,000 top prize, while Emmanuel earned ₦250,000.
The tournament, organised by Merit Petroleum Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Mainland Tennis Club, also featured junior and wheelchair tennis events, underscoring its commitment to inclusivity.
In the junior category, Issa Yahya defeated Nathaniel Aluko to emerge champion, earning ₦150,000, while the runner-up received ₦100,000.
In the wheelchair tennis events, Nigeria’s top-ranked men’s wheelchair player, Alex Adewale, claimed the men’s title and ₦400,000, with Yusuf Wasiu finishing second.
In the women’s wheelchair final, Nigeria’s number one-ranked female wheelchair player, Chituru Nwaozuzu, defeated Andrea Usoh to win the title and a ₦400,000 prize.
Speaking on the rationale behind the sponsorship, the Chief Executive Officer of Merit Petroleum Nigeria Limited, Tokunbo Onasanya, said the initiative was designed to promote local talent and encourage inclusivity in sports.
“Every time I come to the stadium, I see the hard work these players put in, from children to women and the physically challenged. This is our third year of supporting tennis here, and we hope to continue to grow the tournament and show our local talent”, she said.
Onasanya stressed that the company was deliberate about equitable rewards across all categories, adding that every participant received some form of incentive.
“Whether they are men, women or wheelchair players, everyone is rewarded fairly. We want to encourage them to represent Nigeria locally and internationally”, she added.
President of Mainland Tennis Club, Tochukwu Adino, described the event as a maiden edition at this scale, noting that plans were underway to elevate it to a national tournament.
“We decided to make it an open tournament to invite players from Lagos and its environs to showcase their talents. Next year, we are planning a bigger edition that will be included in the Nigeria Tennis Federation calendar”, Adino said.
He noted that sports remained one of the most effective tools for youth empowerment and urged government and corporate organisations to invest more deliberately in grassroots competitions.
“There are many empowerment programmes by politicians, but sports is the language young people understand. Through sports, we can get many youths off the streets, help them discover their talents and even build careers”, Adino said.
He added that tennis had helped transform the lives of several youngsters at the National Stadium, noting that many started out as ball boys before being mentored by club members.
“Some of these boys you see today came from the streets. They started by picking balls and, through mentoring and scholarships from club members, they have developed into competitive players”, he said.
Adino called on corporate bodies to see tennis sponsorship as a viable corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform, stressing that sustained funding was key to the sport’s survival.
“Tennis is an expensive sport. Without corporate sponsorship, it is difficult to sustain development. We are building a structure that will outlive our tenure and continue to support young talents,” he added.
Also speaking, Yemi Onasanya said the cumulative prize money for the tournament exceeded ₦10 million, noting that most of the players were nationally ranked.
“The winners of both the men’s and women’s categories earned ₦500,000 each. The tournament is open, but seeded players are selected based on national rankings”, he explained.
The wheelchair tennis champions used the platform to highlight challenges facing para-sports athletes in the country.
Adewale described the Merit Tennis Open as the highest-paying para-sports tennis tournament in Nigeria, while calling for improved sponsorship and equipment support.
“We have the talent, but we lack equipment and sponsorship. If we get the right support, we can compete internationally”, he said.
Nwaozuzu, who recently won three gold medals at the West African Para Games in Abeokuta, said inadequate equipment and funding continued to hamper wheelchair tennis development in Nigeria.
“I believe that this new president will do better. Because in the wheelchair tennis, they don’t have a standard wheelchair to play the tennis. If at all we have a standard wheelchair, because I have been in tournament outside country, I don’t see what they are playing.
But what they are using to defeat us is the wheelchair that they are using. They are using a better wheelchair than us” .
