The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tennis

  • GOVERNOR’S CUP LAGOS TENNIS: More home lads hit exit door

    GOVERNOR’S CUP LAGOS TENNIS: More home lads hit exit door

    • Dream better outing in second leg

    Five more Nigerians Wednesday failed in their bid to progress beyond the second round, first leg of the ongoing 13th edition of the Governor’s Cup holding at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

    Clifford Enosoregbe, who had been tipped among the few still left in the competition to advance, found number one seed Hiroki Kondo of Japan too hot for comfort as the tie ended 6-3 6-3 in favour of the Japanese. Sani Adamu equally had it rough against third seeded Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan of India no thanks to a 6-2,6-3 defeat. While Enosoregbe and Adamu could be said to have put up a good fight despite their defeat, same cannot be said of Christian Paul who could not get a game in his two set tie against Borna Coric from Croatia.

    The duo of Ronke Akingbade and Blessing Anuna who attempted to make a push in the ladies doubles, had their ambition cut short by the pair of Giola Barbieri of Italy and Anna Morgina of Russia. Interestingly the home lads are taking their defeats in good fate while those who spoke to SportingLife sounded optimistic ahead of the second leg which serves off next Monday.

    It is not, however, all about seeding but current form, as ladies number two and three seeds suffered shock defeats Wednesday. While number two seed Nina Bratchikova of Russia lost 6-4 6-2 to hard fighting Italian Giola Barbieri, number three seed Eva Birnerova from Czech lost 6-1,6-2 to India’ s Prathana Thombare. Action continues today even as the number of fans at the venue gradually increases as competition progresses.

    Meanwhile NTF Chief Coach, Ishicheli Benson said that some of the Nigerian players would have performed better if they had taken opportunity for them to train seriously. He revealed that some who had been invited for close camping chose to ignore the opportunity noting that it would have given them a push in the face of challenge from their opponents.

    “It has been the same old story. I’m particularly feeling bad because the NTF and the LOC called the players for camping but the senior ones failed to turn up giving unnecessary excuses. You can see that those junior players that came for the camping performed very well with some of them fighting their ways from the qualifying round to the second round on Wednesday,” he said.

  • Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis: NTF, LOC to camp local players

    Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis: NTF, LOC to camp local players

    No fewer than 10 top Nigerian players will be given two weeks close camping ahead of the this year’s Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship which serves off October 13 in Lagos.

    Former Minister of Sports and President of Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) Sani Ndanusa who made this known, said the project which is being handled in conjunction with Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the $80,000 (about N12.6m) prize money championship is aimed at improving the chances of the local players who have practically been at the receiving end.

    “The camping is one of our contributions to prepare our players psychologically and technically for this year’s Governor’s Cup. The plan is to select 10 players and prepare them with the help of two coaches for two weeks in Lagos before the competition.

    “We have the support of the LOC on this camping and it is our expectation that the players will put up a good performance this year,” he enthused.

    The NOC president and former Niger State Commissioner for Transport and Infrastructural Development praised the media for supporting the championship now in its 13th edition, noting that partnership of that nature remains the best approach to taking sports in the country to the zenith.

    Tournament Director of the Governor’s Cup, Prince Wale Oladunjoye said the LOC is expecting the local players to give the foreign players a good fight this year, even as he revealed that more emphasis will be laid on the nutrition of the players during the camping.

    “During the camping, the players will be properly fed to correct their nutrition and there will be full training to prepare them for the challenges ahead. We are expecting that they will have two or three days break before the commencement of the Governor’s Cup. This is a programme of the NTF, but the LOC is supporting so that at the end of the day there will be good results from our players this year,” he said.

    Strong indications abound that the camping may begin at the end of this month to allow the players complete a full circle ending October 10th, three days before the action begins at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

  • TENNIS: Agassi captures home town victory in Las Vegas

    TENNIS: Agassi captures home town victory in Las Vegas

    Andre Agassi won his second straight PowerShares Series event and thrilled his hometown fans with an 8-3 triumph over Jim Courier in the championship match of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships, Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

    The victory moved Agassi into fourth place in the PowerShares Series rankings, as he now sits just 600 points behind top-ranked Jim Courier, after Courier gained 100 tonight with his semifinal win. Agassi is looking to make a late season surge into the top three of the point standings, in order to receive a share of the $1,000,000 PowerShares Series purse. Just two events remain on the 2012 schedule with stops in Denver and Anaheim upcoming at the end of November.

    “It always means the world to me, to play here in Las Vegas in front of all the people that have supported me throughout my entire career,” said Agassi, who had his wife Stefanie and entire family on hand for the match tonight, along with many students from his Preparatory Academy. “I felt the enthusiasm of my supporters, and I really like the way I’m striking the ball right now.”

    It was the second straight year that Agassi has taken home the title here in Las Vegas, defeating Pete Sampras in the finals of last year’s event at the Thomas and Mack Center.

    In the evening’s first semifinal, Michael Chang and Jim Courier waged a fierce back and forth battle as both players held serve up until 6-5 when Courier broke to advance to the final with a 7-5 victory.

    In the second semifinal Agassi handed John McEnroe his first semifinal loss in a PowerShares Series event since October 18 in Detroit, beating McEnroe in a highly charged and entertaining 7-5 set. McEnroe expressed his displeasure with a mid-match “moon over Vegas”, showing all of the fans his Bjorn Borg brand underwear.

    After a short Thanksgiving holiday break, the 2012 PowerShares Series returns to action Thursday night, November 29 for the Jeep Championships, presented Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Denver, Colorado. Agassi will rejoin Chang, Courier and McEnroe when the action gets under way at 7:30 pm at the Pepsi Center.

  • GOVERNOR’S CUP TENNIS Abinu, Omoile out

    GOVERNOR’S CUP TENNIS Abinu, Omoile out

    Home girl and national number one, Fatima Abinu got a baptism of fire Tuesday at the ongoing Governor’s Cup when she suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Russia’s Nina Bratchikova.

    Abinu was not however the only Nigerian that was shown the door on a day the weather chose to be clement.

    Samuel Omoile fell 2-6, 1-6 to Egyptian Ka rim-Mohammed Maamoun, while John Otu was stopped by Japan’s Kento Takechi in 6-1,6-1.

    In other results, South African Ruan Roelofse beat Uzebkstiani Vega Uzakov 6-0, 6-0; Portuguese Andre Gaspar Murta defeated German Mario Eckadt 6-4, 6-1. In what is the longest match of the tournament so far, lasting 4hours 15minutes, German Jasmine Steinherr had a good fight to dislodge Slovak Anna Prislan in 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 game. Egyptian Karin Hossam beat Zimbabwe’s Mark Lynn, while another Egyptian star, Sheriff Sabry defeated Jose-Ricardo Nunez of Portugal 7-6, 6-4.

    In the women’s category, Israeli Valerie Patuk beat Dallas Jakupovic 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, American Riley Alexandra, who was nursing a knee injury, lost to Russian Alexandra Romanova 0-6, 1-6.

    A disappointed Alexandra blaimed her defeat on injury but expressed optimism that the second leg will be better. “I lost to the Russian girl because I have been nursing a knee injury for some time. The pains re-occured in the course of the match; hopefully, I should be able to do well in the second leg of the competition next week,” she said.

    It was however mixed fortunes for Nigeria in the doubles as the duo of Abdulmumuni Babalola and Bolaji Olawepo beat compatriots Sani Adamu and Henry Atseye 6-3, 7-5, while the pairs of Abidemi Olanrewaju Adebisi and Ganiyu Yusuff of Nigeria lost to Michael-Bay Pllares-Gonzales and Murphy Parker of USA in 6-4, 6-0.

  • GOVERNOR’S CUP TENNIS Babalola, Lawal book early exit

    GOVERNOR’S CUP TENNIS Babalola, Lawal book early exit

    It was a repeat of the usual Monday as Nigeria’s duo of Abdulmumuni Babalola and Shehu Lawal were edged out in the first round, first Futures of the 12th Governor’s Cup.

    The duo, who ordinarily would have put up a good fight, found their opponents too hot for comfort. While Lawal who incidentally was the only home lad that was named directly into the main draw crumbled 6-0 6-2 to Rodriguez Ranzano of Spain, compatriot Babalola was shown the door by Italy’s Alessandro Petrone 7-6(2) 6-4.

    Downpour which took a greater part of the early hours of the opening day delayed most singles matches, forcing the cancellation of doubles ties.

    Action, however, continues today even as most players who spoke to SportingLife on the two-legged futures championship, prayed for clement weather.

  • Serena hails ‘awesome’ recovery

    NOT for the first time in her career, Serena Williams climbed off the canvas to win her 15th grand slam title on home soil at the US Open.

    The 30-year-old had been a hot favourite to beat world number one Victoria Azarenka after her victories at Wimbledon and the Olympics but she was pushed all the way, fighting back from 5-3 down in the decider to win 6-2 2-6 7-5.

    Williams looked stunned as she absorbed her achievement, which brought a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and very different headlines to the ones she had written in New York over the past few years.

    In 2009, the world number four lost to Kim Clijsters in the semi-final after receiving a point penalty for abusing a lineswoman, then last year she was beaten by Sam Stosur in the final after again losing her cool, this time with umpire Eva Asderaki.

    Earlier last year, Williams feared not justher career but her life was in danger when she suffered from blood clots on her lungs as a result of a foot injury that kept her out of the game for a year.