Chief Gbolahan Odele has expressed satisfaction with the quality of tennis and the competitive spirit displayed by young players at the fourth edition of his annual Age-Grade Tennis Tournament.
The youth development tournament, organised by Badejo Sports in partnership with the Chief Gbolahan Odele Foundation, ended at the weekend after producing keenly contested matches across the various age categories.
While some of the preliminary matches were played at the Lagos Country Club, the finals were held at the Adejumo Tennis Sports Centre, where a sizeable crowd of tennis enthusiasts gathered to watch the youngsters battle for honours.
The tournament featured boys and girls competing in the Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 categories, as well as youth UTR events.
Odele, who watched some of the final matches, said he was impressed by the skill, determination and competitive spirit displayed by the participants.
“I am highly thrilled that the event went well. Seeing the youths competing with such passion and guts was a huge delight. The final was very explosive. There were so many fireworks in the matches, and I am impressed, with the optimism that the future of tennis is bright in Nigeria,” Odele said.
He pledged to sustain the tournament and improve it with each edition, while expressing appreciation to the players and their parents for their support.
“We will continue to keep the flag flying and ensure the tournament gets better with every edition. I appreciate the kids and their parents for turning up in numbers,” he added.
In the Girls’ Under-12 final, Ameera Adebayo defeated Chidumto Obiora 5/3, 0/4, 15/13, while Salau Abdulmaleek overcame Goodluck Onorode 4/2, 4/2 to emerge the winner of the Boys’ Under-12 category.
Mabubat Rasaki claimed the Girls’ Under-14 title after defeating Josephine Musa 4/1, 5/4, while Friday Testimony secured the Boys’ Under-14 crown with a 4/1, 4/1 victory over Oloyede Abiodun.
In the youth UTR events, Amir Mohammed emerged champion in the boys’ category, while Toluwalase Agunbiade claimed the girls’ title.
The organisers said the competition aimed to provide young players with regular competitive opportunities while contributing to the development of the next generation of Nigerian tennis players.
