The second edition of the National Tennis Open reached a shattering climax, as various talents vied for honours in various categories of the highly competitive games held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The tournament, sponsored by the Minister of State for Industry who recently served as Nigeria’s 36th Minister of Sports , drew players from across Nigeria for the second edition of the Renewed Hope and People First National Tennis Open, Calabar 2024 .
The finals took place on the 7th of December on the hard court of the Calabar Sports Club 1898.
Nubari John and Rebecca Ekpenyong stole the show during the hotly contested finals of the tournament after defeating their opponents Aliyah Precious and Timiprie Maxwell to go home with cash prizes, gifts and trophies.
The highly enthusiastic crowd had a lot to cheer as the hard hitting dueling players displayed their mastery of the game with powerful drives and wonderful backhand strokes executed with utmost precision, testing the technical depth and calculations of the players.
The thrilling tournament is staged annually to promote the growth and development of tennis in Cross River State and Nigeria as a whole, while fostering the spirit of unity and sportsmanship amongst Nigerians and sports lovers.
The tournament aligns with the Minister’s commitment to youth empowerment, national unity, and grassroots sports development, a vision inspired by the Renewed Hope agenda. The grand finale not only celebrated excellence through out the duration of the games,but also reinforced the importance of industry, tourism, and sports as catalysts for socioeconomic development.
The Chief Host of the tournament, Senator John Owan Enoh, who is the current Minister of State for Industry, FIMTI, made it clear, that although he was no longer Sports Minister, he will continue to support the growth and development of Tennis and football in Cross River State his home state.
He said: “I’ll continue to give young Cross Riverians who show excellence and hard work, the platform to excel right to the Zenith of tennis and football.”
Senator Enoh stated that he was committed to increasing the prize money through every edition of the tournament, and challenged players in the state to make it to the finals.
The Minister further announced his plan for a football talent hunt across Cross River State early in 2025. He said that early exposure is good for football talents.
” This is a clarion call to Cross Riverians ,that there is an opportunity and early support for those who show seriousness to excell in tennis and football. I am ready and willing to give the needed support”, he said.
The Minister appreciated the efforts of Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the Governor of Cross River State for his passion towards sports development in the state, such that he embraced the tournament into the events programme of the grand annual Calabar Festival.
He also acknowledged the enthusiasm of the Sports Commissioner Agnes Atsu, noting that the performance of Team Cross River at the 8th edition of the National Youth Games in Asaba ,Delta State,showed great improvement from their previous performance, and this speaks monumentally of the efforts put in by the leadership of the state.
Governor Otu, who was represented by the Sports Commissioner, Agnes Atsu, lauded the initiative and committed to working with the talents from the tournament to elevate the state in tennis.
Senator Enoh donated Tennis equipments for the continuous training of young tennis talents in Cross River State , sponsorship to other National tournaments for Charles Olom and Theresa Otu of CRS,for their maximum sports exposure .
This year’s tournament saw an array of top ranked Nigerian tennis players like female no.7 Rebecca Ekpenyong, no. 11, Timiprie Maxwell and Amarachi Odoh, Nigeria’s no. 24. Others include Aliya Precious, Universal Tennis Ranking U14, U16 Champion Bayelsa State and John Nubari who emerged winner was one time U16 champion Rivers State.
