Marylove continues surge, as Quadri bounces back

Nigeria’s Marylove Edwards yesterday continued her surge to the top at the on-going 2016 ITF/CAT Africa Junior Championships West & Central qualifiers holding in Abuja with an impressive 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Serena Geli of Togo as the competition hots up.

The 12-nation tournament holding at the Tennis Centre of the National Stadium, Abuja is featuring some of the best juniors from the West and Central Africa region.

The 10-year-old Edwards, who is known for her double forehand and double backhand, has been one of the standout performers in the tournament having beaten her previous opponents from Ghana and Nigeria with the same score line to top her pool.

She is now on course to face her compatriot, Oyinlomo Quadri, who returned to winning form by beating Naa McKorley of Ghana 6-1 6-2.

Quadri, 12, who is now based in Morocco on a year-long ITF scholarship, suffered a shock 6-4, 6-0 loss to Patricia Wamba of Cameroun in her first match.

Nigeria also had it good in the boys’ 14&u as Michael Osewa posted a 6-1, 6-1 win over Cameroun’s Paul Wamba, while Gabriel Friday and Musa Sani both triumphed 6-4, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-2 against Charles Alipoe of Togo and Louis Nyarka of Ghana respectively in the same category.

Osewa, who got bronze at the main AJC in Tunisia last year, is confident of winning the category, a feat he hopes to repeat in the AJC billed for Pretoria, South Africa in March.

“I am good enough for the title here in Nigeria. My major focus is how to win the AJC title in South Africa because the two players that were above me at the last AJC from Morocco have moved to the 16&u,” he said.

In the girls’ 16&u, Nigeria’s Angel McLeod and South Africa-based Adetayo Adetunji also maintained their good form by winning 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-0 against fellow Nigerians, Chidimma Ezeh and Mariam Alli-Balogun respectively.

Christopher Itodo is also on course after posting a 6-3, 6-1 win over Isaac El Haya of Cote d’Ivoire in the boys’ 16&u, same as Peter Lawal, who defeated Jacques Sewodo of Togo 6-4, 7-6 in a match that lasted over two hours.