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Tag: Adetayo Adetunji

  • ITF Circuit :Nigeria’s Bulus hits final

    ITF Circuit :Nigeria’s Bulus hits final

    Nigeria’s Christopher Bulus Friday qualified for the boys’ singles final of the 2107 ITF Junior Circuit in Togo with a roller-coaster 6-1, 6-1 win over Alex Lago of Cote d’ivoire.
    Bulus reached the semi-finals of the Benin Leg of the point-earning tournament where he lost to eventual winner Delmas N’tcha of Benin and is now a victory away from bagging the crown which could see him rise significantly in the world junior rankings.
    Before claiming the scalp of Lago, the 16-year-old’s breathless display at the Stade Omnisports which has also saw him defeated Vansh Bhagtani of India 6-2, 6-2 and Hugo Jardin of France 7-6, 6-4 in the second round and quarterfinals respectively, is expected to fire him up for the final where he will meet the winner of the clash between sixth-seeded Nt’cha and Eliakim Coulibaly, the second seed from Cote d’ivoire.
    The Aces Tennis Club of Lagos player, who was a surprise quarter finalist at this year’s CBN Open,  has now reached his second final in the circuit in five months having appeared in the championship match in a similar tournament in May in Cote d’ivoire where incidentally, he lost to Coulibaly 6-1, 5-7, 4-6.
    In the girls’ singles, there was no respite for title holder, Oyinlomo Barakat Quadre, as she bowed 3-6, 4-6, in the quarterfinals to unseeded Margaux Rouvroy of France. She was beaten at the same stage last week by Bhakti Bawani of India.
    Nigeria’s Adetayo Adetunji won the Benin Leg last weekend but she is not participating. The final week of the tournament featuring about 90 participants from over 25 countries is scheduled to serve-off on Monday.
  • Quadre breezes into third round of African Junior Closed tourney

    Quadre breezes into third round of African Junior Closed tourney

    Despite copping an injury during the nail-biting encounter against Egypt’s Habiba Khaled Aly in the second round of the girls’ singles of 40th ITF/CAT African Junior Closed Championships, Nigeria’s Oyinlomo Quadre had a soft-landing into the third round of the championship.

    The energy-sapping encounter brought out the best in the Nigerian prodigy as she dug deep to silence the Egyptian. From the start of the match, it was as if Quadre was in charge of the match but the cramp she suffered in the second round nearly scuttled the match for the Nigerian. But the spirited efforts from Quadre coupled with the pep-talk from national junior coach, Mohammed Ubale, the Egyptian failed to unbundle the Nigerian.

    To be certain of her place in the last 16 (third round) of the singles as the number 10 seed, Quadre overcame the Egyptian teenager, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

    Also in the girls’ doubles event, Quadre partnered Gabon’s Celestine Avomo Ella and they formed a good pair to edge out Nigeria’s duo of Adetayo Adetunji Andiyo Inwang 6-2, 7-5 to quality for the quarter-final where they are expected to battle for a place in the semi-final against their Egyptian counterparts.

    For Ubale, the players had given a good account of themselves against strong oppositions. “I think our players just need more exposures to begin to win titles in Africa. They have shown in this competition that they are capable and can play against the best. I am so excited with their performance and I hope they can go far. They will just take each match as they come. Oyinlomo Quadre was really in fine form against the Egyptian and I hope she can recover from the cramp before the last 16 match,” Ubale said.

  • 40th ITF/CAT African junior championships: Quadre gets second round

    40th ITF/CAT African junior championships: Quadre gets second round

    As the 10th seeded player in the girls’ singles event of the 40th ITF/CAT African Junior Closed Championships holding in Tunis, Nigeria’s Oyinlomo Quadre has been given a bye to the second round of the competition.

    Quadre, who recently made headlines after her performance at the West and Central Africa Junior Championship qualifiers in Lome, Togo, will now compete alongside her compatriots – South Africa-based Adetayo Adetunji and Germany-based Andiyo Inwang.

    Adetunji and Inwang got wildcards to be part of the championship, while Quadre was listed as one of the top-ranked junior players in Africa.

    As the highest Nigerian tennis player in any category in the world, Quadre is rated 372nd in the world and she will start her campaign today as she faces the winner between Egypt’s Habiba Khaled Aly and Zimbabwe’s Danai Tanya Chinamo.

    Unlike Quadre who had a bye to the second round, Adetunji and Inwang will start their campaigns in the first round as Adetunji battles Tunisia’s Ferdaous Bahiri, while Inwang will slug it out against Benin Republic’s Carmen Kpadonou.

    Over 40 girls are competing for honours in the singles event of the competition.

    For the national junior coach, Mohammed Ubale, he is hoping that the players would prove their worth against the North Africans who are considered favourites. “I hope our players can hold their own against the North and South African players because they are always considered as favourites in most competitions. I am confident that our players can hold sway against them so that they can also be regarded and respected in the continent. I just hope our players can pick some ranking points from this kind of competition,” Ubale said.

  • 2016 ITF/CAF AJC: Adetunji joins team

    2016 ITF/CAF AJC: Adetunji joins team

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    • Senegal, ITF official arrive for tournament

    Nigeria’s teenage sensation based in South Africa, Adetayo Adetunji will join the rest of the team at their training camp in Abuja on Wednesday just as Senegal becomes the first team to arrive for the 2016 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Africa Junior Championship Zonal Qualifiers holding in Abuja.

    Also today, the ITF Development Officer for West, North & Central Africa who will oversee the tournament on behalf of the world tennis ruling body, Morocco’s Amine Ben Makhlouf will arrive Abuja from his base in Casablanca, Morocco.

    Amine Ben Makhlouf was appointed ITF Development Officer for West, North & Central Africa in September 2005 and he is also the Director of the ITF African Training Centre in Casablanca, Morocco which opened in January 2013.

    Adetunji, who has been honing her skills at her base in Johannesburg in readiness for the tournament will join the 31 players in camp with the final selection of 24 expected to be made public tomorrow at noon.

    According to the national junior coach, Mohammed Ubale, Adetunji would arrive Abuja aboard a South African Airways and he is expected to be received by the officials of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).

    However, Angel McCleod yesterday left the camp to Enugu for the burial of her late mother which holds tomorrow. The departed mother of McCleod, Beauty was murdered last October by a trigger-happy policeman in Lagos and she will be buried tomorrow in Enugu.

    So far, Ubale said the players in camp have been given their best as every one of them wants to be part of the team. “I must tell you that we have been impressed with the response of the players to training as most of them are in good form. But we are not going to give preferential treatment to any player as everybody has equal chance to make the final list of 24. By noon on Thursday, the final 24-man that will represent Nigeria will be made known for the final phase of training before the kick-off on Saturday January 9,” Ubale admitted.

    Senegal, who has been training in Europe in readiness for the qualifiers are expected in Abuja today while other nations will arrive tomorrow before the kick-off on Saturday