Nigeria’s Top Stars For Lagos Tennis Cup

Lagos is set to host the best tennis players in Nigeria once again as the second edition of the Lagos Tennis Cup nears its serve-off from September 27 to October 2, at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the tournament will feature the top eight men’s and women’s players in the country, as ranked by the Nigerian Tennis Federation, including defending men’s champion Uche Oparaoji, who is currently ranked 6th , and women’s champion and top seed Marylove Edwards.

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The Lagos Tennis Cup, which debuted in 2021 at the same venue, is part of a new addition to the national tennis calendar called the Nigerian Tennis Majors, which also includes the Abuja Tennis Cup.

The champions in both categories will earn half a million naira each, while the runners-up will get a quarter of a million naira. Each player gets N50,000 to help with welfare, while a stage one exit earns a player an additional N50,000

The tournament starts with a group stage format that would see each category divided into two groups of four players. The top two players after a use round-robin would clash with the runners-up of the other group in the semi-finals, with the victors playing in the final.

Speaking about the tournament, the managing director of the Tennis Management Company Limited (TMCL), organisers of the event, Kenneth Ezaga, stated that fans and the sports community should expect a more robust tournament this year.

“We are building a sports property that will compete with the very best on the continent. It will take some time to reach our goal, but with every tournament, it gets a bit better and a bit easier.” Ezaga said.

“Tennis in Nigeria was hugely popular and we are hoping that with the Lagos Tennis Cup and the Abuja Tennis Cup we can create a platform to discover and inspire the next Nduka Odizor.”