Nonso Madueke defeated Henry Atseye 2-6 7-6(10) 0-2 to win the men’s singles in the 44th edition of the CBN National Tennis Competition to claim the coveted prize.
Madueke, four seeded in the tournament, having fallen in the first set to top seed Atseye, recovered to displace his opponent in the second set who later conceded defeat in the third set after sustaining an injury.
Atseye had qualified for the grand finale of the men’s singles after beating the defending champion of DavNotch Open, Wilson Igbinovia, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the semi-finals. The Trumpet Gathered
The 18-year-old Igbinovia was on course to lift his second championship title in two weeks before being hampered in the last two sets despite winning the first in the semi-final against Atseye.
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On the other semi-final tussle, Madueke strolled past unseeded Friday Gabriel with ease in the championship to record 6-0 6-0 flawless victory.
“It was not an easy match, but I knew that as long as I kept on fighting, I was going to scale through,” Madueke told the media after Atseye conceded defeat.
“We both had to play two consecutive matches today and even though my opponent’s semi-final game was quite tougher than mine, I knew that I couldn’t rest on my oars.
“I had to keep pushing and stay focused. Thank God I had the victory at last,” he added.
The Trumpet reports that Alexander Adewale, who won the male wheelchair singles event, beat second-seed Wasiu 6-2 7-6 7-5 to clinch the title.
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