27th November, 2012
Men’s Singles winner at this year’s Dala Hard Court Championship, Abdulmumini Babalola, has attributed his success to determination rather than superiority.
Speaking to Tennis Special after defeating hot rival, Shehu Lawal 6-3, 6-4, to cart home the N1m prize money, the Ibadan-based tennis star also said that it was a relief for him after the Governor’s Cup failure.
“The tournament was a good one for me as it came after losing to Shehu in the Governor’s Cup. The Governor’s Cup is an international tournament, which I hope to perform well but my best wasn’t good enough. So, I had move on and the Dala tournament presented me with an opportunity to bounce back to winning ways” he said.
On how easy it was for him to defeat a veteran like Shehu Lawal in straight sets, Babalola put the whole achievement down to sheer determination, stressing that he respected his opponent.
“He’s a great player, whom I have a lot of respect for. We’ve been playing since we were in the Junior cadre, and we know eachother well. Defeating him in Kano was down to the extra determination that I had and I’m really grateful to God for making my dream come true.”
The CBN 2012 Men’s Singles winner further told Tennis Special that he would be participating in a West African tournament in Benin Republic from 17-22 December, 2012.
Meanwhile, victory also smiled on the country’s number one female tennis player, Fatimah Abinu as she defeated her compatriot, Blessing Samuel 6-3,3-6,7-5 in the Women’s singles final.
The outcome came as a relief to the CBN Open champion as she lost woefully at the recently concluded Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship.
—Damilare Okunola