Tennis
WINNERS EMERGE FROM IKOYI CLUB/SEVEN-UP SECONDARY SCHOOL LAWN TENNIS COMPETITION
After an intense five days of technical tutoring and competition, winners have emerged from the maiden edition of Ikoyi Club Lawn Tennis competition for Secondary Schools in Lagos State, sponsored by a leading soft drink manufacturing company, Seven-Up Bottling Company.
ThankGodAdakole from Falomo Senior High School defeated another School mate two sets to one, to grab the Male senior category trophy, Ozioiza Yakubu from Gilbrata Secondary School emerged the Female Single Senior category winner.
Ohunene Yakubu also from Gilbrata went home with the female junior category medal,while Silas Isaac a JSS 3 student from Master Moulders Secondary defeated another public school player to win the Male Junior Category.
Various participants that got to the quarter and semi -finals were given award of encouragement, while coaches and other officials were recognized for their efforts and contribution to the success of the competition.
The competition which was targeted at developing talents and training the trainers had over 240 students male and female from the public and private secondary schools in attendance as well as senior tennis coaches with the support of National Tennis Federation.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman Tennis Section, Ikoyi Club, Abimbola Okubena noted that, participation of players and coaches was outstanding as the aim of the competition and clinic was met.
One of the greatest score of the five day competition was the train the trainer session which focused on shaping the technicality of the tennis coaches.
He added that, there will be follow up on the clinic to sharpen the young star on technicality, game rules and overall flair for the game. As they are the future of tennis development in Nigeria.
Okubena, appreciated tennis federation and Seven-Up bottling for their various contributions toward the actualization of the maiden edition of the competition. ‘The competition is expected to expand to all secondary schools in Lagos next edition’. Abimbola stated.
Boys’ single winner, ThankGod Adakole, speaking on behalf of the winners applauded Ikoyi club for the idea and seven-up for giving a lead to developing young talents that will propel tennis game appreciation.
The Ikoyi Club was established as a European club in 1938 in Ikoyi, Lagos. It occupies approximately 456 acres of land. In the subsequent years, the club merged with the Lagos Golf Club. Besides the golf course, the club also has many sports and relaxation amenities for members and their families.
Argentina’s 36-year-old Marco Trungelliti proved tennis dreams do not come with an expiration date when he became the oldest first-time tour-level finalist in the Open Era after beating the top seed at the Grand Prix Hassan II semi-finals in Marrakech on Saturday.
Trungelliti, who came through the tournament’s qualifiers, upset Italy’s defending champion Luciano Darderi 6-4 7-6(2) to break the previous record held by Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, who reached his first final aged 34 years in 2015.
Darderi, ranked 19 in the world, was only six-years-old when Trungelliti turned pro in 2008. With the victory, Trungelliti secured just his second career top-20 win.
“Of course, I believed it, that’s one of the reasons that I’m here. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible,” Trungelliti said in the on-court interview.
“I’ve worked a lot, me and my team and also my wife, my kid. We all believed in breaking the record basically and that’s exactly what we have done now.”
The milestone caps a remarkable journey for Trungelliti, who made his first ATP Tour semi-final in 2018 in Umag, Croatia – 402 weeks ago.
Having entered the tournament ranked 117 in the world, Trungelliti’s breakthrough week has already guaranteed he will crack the top 100 for the first time. He is currently ranked number 75 in the live rankings.
“It’s been happening the whole week, leaving the court with a victory,” added Trungelliti, who has dropped only one set at the tournament. “So hopefully (there) is one more to go.”
He will face Rafael Jodar on Sunday after the Spaniard prevented an all-Argentine final with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
-Reuters
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Serena Williams has been listed as eligible to return to tennis by the sport’s drug-testing body (ITIA) as of February 22, though it remains unclear whether the 23-time Grand Slam champion will make a stunning comeback to the women’s tour.
The 44-year-old raised eyebrows late last year after rejoining the tennis anti-doping testing pool, though she denied at the time the move signalled she was preparing to return to the sport she dominated for nearly two decades.
She reignited speculation last month when she deflected questions about a possible return during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show.
The Women’s Tennis Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
Williams, who won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017, has not competed since the 2022 U.S. Open.
-Reuters
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Serena Williams has re-entered the tennis anti-doping testing pool but the 23-times Grand Slam champion denied on Tuesday that the move had anything to do with her making a return to the sport she dominated for nearly two decades.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed to Reuters that Williams, who has not competed since the 2022 U.S. Open, was among the list of players in its testing pool, which requires individuals to provide their whereabouts at any given time, every day, and participate in random testing
But as the story of 44-year-old Williams’ inclusion on the list, first reported earlier on Tuesday by The Athletic, gained traction and sparked talk about her potential return, the tennis great took to social media to deny a comeback was in her plans.
“Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy,” Williams wrote on X.
Her agent did not immediately respond to an email from Reuters asking why the player had re-entered the testing pool.
Williams’ name appears on the ITIA website’s list of retired players and would be able to return to a sanctioned event after making herself available for out-of-competition testing for at least six months.
Last week former world number one Williams posted a series of photos on Instagram showing herself on a tennis court with her youngest daughter, Adira River, whom she gave birth to in August 2023.
In August 2022, ahead of her final U.S. Open, Williams announced in a Vogue article that she was “evolving away from tennis.”
Williams, who won her last Grand Slam singles title in 2017, had been chasing an elusive 24th crown that would have drawn her level with Australian Margaret Court, who holds the record.
The American came tantalisingly close to achieving that feat, featuring in four major finals since giving birth to her first daughter, Olympia, in 2017.
-Reuters
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