The President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Ifedayo Akindoju, has commended the impressive quality of tennis at the 2024 National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta, describing the level of competition as a sign of growth for the sport in the country.
Speaking on the level of the games at the tennis events, Akindoju said, “The final matches were epic, very good.
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At some point one of the players had some cramps and slowed down the game, but all the same the level was high, I am satisfied with the standard.”
The tournament saw Nigeria’s female top seed, Barakat Quadri, dominate the court as she inspired Team Delta to two gold medals.
The US-based player first clinched the women’s singles title on Sunday, defeating Ogun State’s Yakubu Ohunene in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
Quadri returned to action on Monday to win gold in the women’s doubles, partnering Ronke Akingbade to defeat Edo State’s pair of Lovely Holzendorf and Blessing Omotayo 6-2, 6-2.
However, her bid for a third gold was cut short in the mixed doubles final. Paired with Ikechukwu Iloputa, Quadri was outplayed by Ogun State’s duo, Christopher Bulus and Ohunene, who triumphed 6-1, 6-4.
In the men’s category, Christopher Bulus was the standout performer for Team Ogun. He teamed up with Azeez Aleem to claim gold in the men’s doubles after a thrilling three-set comeback against Bayelsa State’s David Ekpeyong and Uche Oparaoji.
Bulus had earlier secured the men’s singles title on Sunday, beating Ekpeyong 6-2 in the first set before his opponent retired while trailing 2-0 in the second.
With standout performances from both Quadri and Bulus, the tennis event at the Gateway Games highlighted the depth of talent in Nigerian tennis and reaffirmed the NTF’s commitment to the sport’s development nationwide.
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