Governor’s Cup 2nd Leg: Lawal A Gallant Loser —Roelofse

Despite crashing out in the second round in the second leg of the ongoing Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship, Nigeria’s Shehu Lawal received encomiums from his opponent, Ruan Roelofse of South Africa for his doggedness and steadfastness in the game.

Roelofse said, after beating Lawal in straight sets of 6-1, 6-2 yesterday at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, that the Nigerian star justified his rating as the second best player in the country.

Roelofse told P.M.Sports that Lawal gave him a tough match during the encounter.

“I need to acknowledge his doggedness. He proved his worth as Nigeria’s number two player. He really played out his best. He is very good in service and return of serves to the opponent. He may be out of the tourney but I believe that the Nigerian player still has a long way to go in the game,” he said. He added that the player has potential to rule the continent in the game in the future.

Meanwhile, Lawal said he is now focused on the Dala Hard Court Championship which is coming up in Kano next month. He said he needs to move ahead in the game despite having to swallow the bitter pill of defeat in this year’s Governor’s Cup.

—Olusegun Abidoye