The standard of play at the ongoing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Open Tennis Championship has been described as very high and commendable.
One of the officials of the CBN, Lekan Ajayi, in a chat with our correspondent at the venue of the championship, the Tennis section of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, said the future of the game is very bright going by the standard displayed by the players.
He said: “I have watched some of the matches since the championship served off and I must confessed that am impressed with the standard of play by the players.
“With series of championship like this magnitude, the future of the game is very bright in the country and more hidden talents would be discovered.
It would be recalled that the championship since inception in 1979, when Francis Ajayi emerged as the first winner, has produced gifted players that have flown the national flag of the country at several local and international tournaments.
Prominent among such players are Sadiq Abdullahi, David Imonite, Remi Osho, Sunday Maku, Vernoica Oyiboka, Rolate Olagbegi, Clara Udofa, Margaret Olagundoye, Abdumumuni Babalola, Shehu Lawal to mention but few.
This year’s championship, the 37th edition, served off on Friday, May 15 and is expected to end on Saturday, May 23 at the centre court of the Tennis section of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
A total prize money of N14,k 436, 000. 00 would be won during the championship with the winners in the Men’s and Women’s singles going home with N700, 000. 00 each while the runners-up in the two categories would receive N500, 000. 00 each.
Other prizes for the various categories of the championship include Men’s doubles; Women’s doubles; Mixed doubles, Veteran among others.
There would also be prizes to be won in the Wheel-Chair category of the championship which was introduced in 2013.
The overall winners in both the Men’s and Women’s singles of the Wheel-Chair category would go home with N250, 000. 00 each while the runners-up would receive N200, 000. 00 each.