By AYO OJEDOKUN, Lagos.
All is now set as Team Nigeria begin their quest to defend their overall winner’s status as the ITF West and Central Africa U-18 Circuit on in Cotonou, Benin Republic with Angel McLeod as the top seed in the girl’s category.
Nigeria is the regional superpower in West and Central Africa and have been dominating junior tennis in the zone but will have their dominance put to severe tests as players from Great Britain, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Turkey, among others, will also be participating due to the world point-ranking status of the six-day tournament.
Aside McLeod who on Sunday arrived the tournament alongside Nigeria’s junior tennis head coach, Mohammed Ubale , Barakat Quadri, Michael Osewa, Christopher Bulus, Christopher Itodo and France-based Crystal Nzewi are among the 15-team member who are scheduled to represent the country in the West African nation.
Having excelled at the 14 and under, Quadri will be making her debut at the 18 and under level and Ubale believed her year-long training at the ITF Development Centre in Morocco should guide her to an impressing start in the new class.
After the assignment in Benin Republic, the team will move further west of the continent to Lome, Togo where they will spend another two weeks in continuation of the circuit.
