By VIVIAN AHANMISI

Nigeria’s Seyi Ogunsakin on Saturday defeated David Edward to win his maiden boys’ singles title in the second leg of the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour Juniors J30 tournament in Lagos.

Ogunsakin, the top seed, had lost to Edward in the first-leg final but bounced back to claim the second-leg title.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-leg tournament was held at Lagos Country Club, Ikeja.

In the girls’ singles final, India’s Tejaswi Manneni defeated Nigeria’s second seed, Goodnews Aina, 6-3, 7-5 to win the title.

Manneni dominated the opening set before Aina fought back in the second, but the Indian maintained her composure to secure the victory.

In the girls’ doubles final, top seeds Goodnews Aina and Gloria Samuel defeated second seeds Oluwalashe Agunbiade and Chimezurum Ogualu 3-6, 6-2, 10-4 to lift the title.

In the boy’s doubles final, Elisha Kwange and Gbolahan Olawale beat Oliwier Kowzan and Ivo Sampayo 6-4, 6-4 to claim the title.

Speaking after his victory, Ogunsakin, from Ekiti, described the triumph as a major boost to his career.

“I am very happy because it is a big tournament. I wanted revenge after losing in the first leg, and I am glad I did it,” he said.

He said his experience from previous competitions gave him the confidence to win.

“This is not my first tournament. If I can win other tournaments, I can win this one too,” he said.

Manneni expressed satisfaction with her victory, having reached the semi-finals in the first leg.

“It feels really good. I am happy that I was able to pull through,” she said.

She said the approached the final with an open mind, focusing on giving her best rather than putting herself under pressure.

“My mindset was to go and play. If I give my best and lose, that is fine. I am happy as long as I give my best,” she said.

Also, Saidu Musa, Technical Director of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, said Nigerian players had recorded significant improvement since the introduction of the J30 tournament in Abuja in 2018.

He said the increasing number of Nigerian finalists and winners showed that local players were becoming more competitive at the international level.

“There has been quite a lot of improvement in the performance of our Nigerian players. Most of them are now reaching finals and winning tournaments,” he said.

Musa commended Moses for investing in junior tennis development and urged more partnerships to sustain the progress.

“We owe him a lot of gratitude for what he is doing. We look forward to more partnerships with him for the development of tennis in Nigeria,” he said.

Tochukwu Adino, President of Mainland Tennis Club, described the standard of competition as impressive and called for greater sponsorship of junior tennis.

“The tournament standard is high. I never expected to see this level of quality tennis being displayed by upcoming players,” he said.

Adino praised Moses for sponsoring the competition, noting that such investments were important for the growth of the sport.

“I can only say thank you so much for sponsoring this tournament. It is not easy. May God bless him and replenish his pocket to do more,” he said.

Meanwhile, Paul Moses, founder of Tiger Tennis Foundation and tournament director, described the competition as successful, citing increased participation among junior players.

He said the qualifying draw was fully subscribed, with several players placed on the waiting list.

“The competition was incredible. For the first time, we had a full qualifying draw and a long alternate list,” he said.

Moses singled out 13-year-old Mofifunoluwa Atilola, who won the first-leg girls’ singles title and reached the semi-finals in the second leg, for praise.

He said hosting more J30 tournaments in Nigeria would help local players earn international ranking points without spending heavily on overseas competitions.

“When we host more tournaments at home, players can improve their rankings, secure college scholarships and build professional careers,” he said. (NAN)