The defending champions of the ongoing 2nd Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Tennis League, Abuja-based Team Tombim on Sunday defeated the Lagos-based Leadway.
The champions won their opponent with four points to three in the overall scores in the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles event.
They, however, emerged winners in the mixed-doubles event winning 6-4, 6-0 at the National Stadium, Lagos.
The duos of Monday Igbinovia and Ronke Akingbade of team Leadway could not hold up to their words as the duo of Moses Michael and Sarah Adegoke edged pass them to win the decisive tie-point.
The winners of the mixed doubles event; Michael, national champion and the highest ranked ATP player and Adegoke, a national number four female player, who spoke to NAN, said, “we are happy for this win.
“We came all the way from Abuja with the mind set of winning and we are glad we were able to achieve it.
“It was not easy for us though because in all the game we played there was a tie, it either we win the first game or they lost the other way.
“So, this was the last game and we had to put our energy together and work as a team to be able to achieve this feat.
“On behalf of our team, we want to say thank you Lagos for hosting us and also the organisers for putting up this league,’’ they said.
On their next match in Ilorin, they said that they would go all out to win like they did in Lagos and also work on their few mistakes in Lagos in other to win the league.
Reacting to their loss, a member of Team Leadway, Joseph Imeh, a top national player and ATP ranked player, said that they played their best.
Imeh added that they gave the game their best but it could not match their opponents’.
“Honestly, we trained hard for this games and we loss to one point. It broke our hearts that we could not hold them up,’’ he said.
Michael of Team Tombim had earlier won the first men’s single match against Imeh of Team Leadway in three sets, 2-6,6-2 and 6-1.
Team Leadway’s Igbinovia returned the favour in the second men’s singles displacing Team Tombim’s Edward Aniefu in three sets, 0-6, 6-4,7-5.
The third men’s single saw Team Tombim’s Michael defeating Igbinovia in two sets, winning 6-2, 6-2 while Imeh of Team Leadway was quick to displace Christian Paul of Team Tombim,6-4,6-1.
In the men’s doubles, the duo of Imeh and Mohammed Mohammed of Team Leadway won their game against Team Tombim’s Michael and Paul in three sets winning 6-4,4-6,11-9.
In the Women’s category, Team Tombim’s Adegoke came from behind to defeat Ronke Akingbade, a national top female player of Team Leadway in the last set, winning 6-3,7-6(3).
Godwin Keinka, the coordinator of the league, said that the competition was a huge contribution to the tennis league.
“This takes us closer to our dream of becoming the most spectator friendly event in the country,’’ Keinka said.
The winner of the tennis league will take home seven million naira, the runner-up five million naira, the third place, three million and the fourth place, two million naira.
