The profile of young Nigeria tennis player, Nene Yakubu, has continued to rise as she recently helped the country to a gold medal at the recently concluded West/Central Africa CAT qualifiers.
Yakubu, who won all her games in the tournament, was the captain of the country’s U-12 team. She also helped her teammates, Khadijat Mohammed and Success Ogunjobi, in the double as the country qualified for the main CAT championship in Morocco later in the year.
Yakubu won her singles game against Gabon 6-0, 6-0 before partnering with a teammate to win the double with the same scoreline. One of her teammates, however, made it 3-0 against Gabon with 6-0, 6-1 win in the other single game.
She repeated the result against Togo 6-0, 6-0 in her single before winning the double 6-2, 6-2, although her teammate lost her game 6-4, 6-4, they team already done enough to win 2-1 as they emerged the overall winner.
Against Benin republic she won her game 6-1, 6-1 while in her doubles it ended 6-0, 6-0. Her teammate won 6-0, 6-1 for a 3-0 defeat of the Beninoise.
Against Sierra Leone, she won her singles 6-2, 6-1. Her doubles 6-3, 6-1 and her team mate won at 6-2, 6-2 for another 3-0 win for Nigeria.
Five counties played in the girl category while nine countries played in the boys’ category.
While the girls emerged as the champions as they returned to the country with the gold medal, the boys finished second with silver medal.
The last time Team Nigeria qualified was three years ago.