29 September 2014, Lagos – The second Shell Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Junior Tennis Championship kicks off at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club with several players just back from international competitions or training programs eager to show off their new form.
Marylove Edwards 12, spent a full month at the Dubai International Tennis Academy sponsored by CBN while Serena Teluwo, 9, spent about the same time in America. Both are back in time for the very junior championship.
Also raring to go are Chris Itodo of Kaduna, the boys 16 and under champion who qualified for the Africa Junior Masters concluded in Cairo over the past weekend. He will be joined by the Ezeh brothers, Tochukwu and Ekene from Onitsha who participated in three weeks of International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Championships in Togo and Benin.
Meanwhile, the International Tennis Academy, organisers of the junior circuit, have announced record entries for the tournament with teams from Ekiti, Kaduna, Ogun and Port Harcourt arriving with over 15 players each. The Academy has also upped the conditions of entry to include negative malaria and typhoid fever test certificate. “This is not a time to be sick in Nigeria” the entry form emphasized.
The tournament which ends on Saturday, October 4, is featuring singles events in four age categories – boys and girls 10, 12, 14 and 16 age categories.
– Vanguard
