Delta State added two gold medals to their medal haul, in the tennis competition at the ongoing 2024 National Sports Festival in Abeokuta thanks to the dominance of Nigeria’s top-seeded female player, Barakat Quadri.
In the final against Lovely Holzendorf and Blessing Omotayo of Edo State, the US-based tennis player partnered with Ronke Akingbade to win the women’s doubles title on Monday.
Quadri and Akingbade won the gold medal by outlasting their rivals 6-2, 6-2.
In the women’s singles competition on Sunday, the 22-year-old Quadri defeated Ogun State native Yakubu Ohunene 6-1, 6-1 to win the gold medal.
Elsewhere, Azeez Aleem and Christopher Bulus of Ogun State proved to be too strong for David Ekpeyong and Uche Oparaoji of Bayelsa State in the men’s doubles final, which was also determined on Monday. They defeated them in an exciting three-set match after losing the opening set.
Bulus defeated Ekpeyong in the final to win gold in the men’s singles competition on Sunday. Before his opponent resigned, he was ahead 2-0 in the second set after winning the first 6-2.
Quadri was denied a gold hat-trick in the mixed doubles final on Monday as well, where she was paired with Ikechukwu Iloputa.
They lost 6-1, 6-4 to Bulus and Ohunene of Ogun State.
According to Ifedayo Akindoju, President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, the caliber of matches at the sports festival indicates that the sport is expanding in Nigeria.
“The final matches were epic, very good. At some point one of the players had some cramps and slowed down the game, but all the same the level was high, I am satisfied with the standard.” He said