New winners emerged at the 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship held in Abuja over the weekend, with titles decided across the men’s and women’s singles as well as doubles categories.
The standout moment of the competition came from 18-year-old Etoro Bassey, who made a remarkable debut appearance in the senior event.
In her first final at this level, Bassey overcame two-time ITF junior champion Ogunjobi Success 2-1 (3-6, 6-0, 6-2) to secure the women’s singles crown, showing strong resilience after dropping the opening set.
The men’s singles title went to Nigeria’s top-ranked player and number one seed Abua Canice, who produced a commanding 2-0 (6-1, 6-2) victory over defending champion Michael Akpan Emmanuel to claim the trophy.
In the doubles events, Canice partnered Mohammed Musa to defeat Michael Akpan Emmanuel and Sylvanus Ajano in the men’s final, while in the women’s doubles, Mohammed Khadijat and Ogunjobi Success edged out Etoro Bassey and James Favour 6-2, 6-7(2), 10-6 in a tightly contested match.
CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, represented by Hakama Sidi Ali, Acting Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, praised the athletes, officials and stakeholders for the successful hosting of the tournament.
He also reiterated the CBN’s commitment to youth development and confirmed continued sponsorship of the championship.
