Governor’s Cup 1st Leg: Local Players Bundled Out

Just the way they performed last year and every other year since the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship started, Nigerian players were no match for their foreign counterparts in the tournament with their below average performance which saw their early exit from the competition.

The local players’ ambition to put up a good showing in the Etisalat and FCMB sponsored two-legged circuit was cut short as the players, who struggled to get to the second round of the ITF approved competition and failed to make the quarter finals in matches played at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Court, Onikan yesterday.

Abdulmumini Babalola, who once got to the semi final of the men’s singles, and won the doubles’ event in one of the editions of the tournament, was beaten by number one seed Capkovic Kamil of Slovakia in straight sets of 6-4, 6-2. His compatriot, another good local player, Shehu Lawal was stopped by 7th seed Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan of India in a 6-0, 6-3 match.

Number 2 seed, Karan Rastogi of India had an easy ride over Kingsley Enosoregbe in a 6-2, 6-2 rout.

Sara Adegoke, the only surviving lady was stopped by Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in a 6-0, 6-0 tie, while Candy Idoko completed Nigeria’s woes in the first leg of the championship as he fell like a pack of cards to 8th seed Vijayant Malik of India in a 6-1, 6-2 game.

Other players who crashed out in the first round include Destiny Da Silva, Bala Habu Musa, Sanni Adamu, Onyeka Mbanu, Pekun Akingbade, Christy Agugbom, Fatima Abinu, Blessing Samuel, Sarah Adegoke, Rose Ojonimi, Abiola Akewula. Eight of the players got wild cards to play in the Main Draws of the competition.

While tennis pundits are wondering about the woes that have befallen Nigerian players in the Governor’s Cup over the years, the local players usually claim that they tried their best but the society they found themselves is responsible for their quality of play.

Babalola said Nigerian players will never win the Governor’s Cup. “We’ve remained participants since the tournament began and we’ll remain so,” said Babalola.

“The highest we have gone in the tourney was when I got to the semi final stage and won the doubles’ event. It’s sad. The government and the federation are not doing enough to help us out of this problem,” he lamented.

Emmanuel said the foreign stars have an advantage because they have all things going for them to play circuits around the world.

“We hardly go out to participate in competitions. The environment is very bad for us to succeed,” he said.

—Taiwo Adelu