Imeh, Oyinlomo Retain CBN Senior Tennis Championships Titles

The defending champion of the men’s singles title of the Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Open Tournament, Imeh Joseph, over the weekend survived an early scare to come from a set down to beat hard-fighting Oparaoji Uche, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to retain the title he won last year.

Imeh’s triumph in the final of the 43rd edition of the championship decided at the Package ‘B’ of the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja last Saturday, was the talking points of tennis circles at the weekend.

He carted home the giant trophy plus the N1million star prize at stake.

In the women’s singles final, 2019 and 2020 back-to-back reigning champion, Oyinlomo Quadri, wasted no time in dispatching America-based little Marylove Edwards, 6-1, 6-0 to retain her crown and win the giant trophy for keeps.

Besides the giant trophy, the junior tennis sensation, Oyinlomo Quadri, was also rewarded with N1million as the women’s singles star prize.

She also paired Asogba Toyin to lift the women’s doubles title following their 6-1, 6-0 victory over the duo of Salami Khadijat and Adeusi Jesutoyosi to make it a double victory.

The men’s doubles title went to the duo of Adehi Oche and Musa Mohammed who forced the pair of Abamu Matthew and Michael Chima to retire at 5-0in the first set.

In the wheelchair category, Alex Adewale defeated Wasiu Yusuf 6-3 7-5 to win the men’s singles title while Nwaozuzu Chituru came from a set down to dispatch Khafayat Omisore, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Declaring the championship closed, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who was represented by the Ag Director, Corporate Communications of the apex financial institution, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, charged Nigerian youths to shun violence and make good use of the oppportunities provided by the CBN to keep themselves actively engaged in useful ventures including sporting activities.

He promised the continuous sponsorship of the annual CBN Junior, Senior and wheelchair championship and assured sports stakeholders that the 43rd edition will not be the last.