By Jonathan Ugbal
Nigeria’s former Under 16 Tennis Champion, John Nubari and the country’s female number 8, Rebecca Ekpenyong on Saturday won the second edition of The Renewed Hope and People’s First, National Tennis Open hosted by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh and held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Their victory at the open championship is viewed as the icing on the cake following the certification of the Calabar Sports Club 1898, venue of the open as a Universal Tennis Rating, UTR, Center by the International Tennis Federation, ITF.
The UTR is an index that generates a reliable and accurate rating for players’ tennis skill. It rates men, women, and children on a single 16-point scale that works for players globally regardless of their skill level, from beginners to top professional competitors.
The algorithm calculates ratings from the last 30 eligible matches played within the preceding 12 months, with the main data points being the percentage of games won, and the opponent’s rating. The center will serve the South South zone of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the open saw Rebecca Ekpenyong who ranks 8th nationally, recover from losing the first set 2:6 to beating Timipre Maxwell, ranked 11th nationally 6:1 in the second set and 6:2 in the final set to clinch gold in the female segment.
In the males segment, Nubari, a former Nigeria U-16 Champion, pipped 17-year-old Aliya Precious from Bayelsa in two sets to walk home with the prize.
John edged Precious 7:6 in a hotly contested first set but cruised his way to the championship after a series of faults from Precious led to a 6:2 victory and match decider.
Explaining the essence, promoter, Diana-Mary Nsan who says the open aims to promote tennis development in Nigeria, while also fostering a spirit of unity and sportsmanship among participants, and sports lovers. She also hailed ITF certified coach, Ekpenyong Peter, who assisted the process for the certification of the club as a UTR center.
In his remarks, the Chief Host, Senator Enoh, explained that the open taking place under the administration of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River led to the naming of the open after their respective agenda and promised that the games will only get bigger despite his reassignment from the Ministry of Sports Development.
“It is taking place under the administration of President Bola Tinubu which has the Renewed Hope Agenda and the sweet Prince, Senator Bassey Edet Otu who has the People’s First Agenda,” he said, and disclosed why that did not stop his sports related activities.
“When I got reassigned to the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, I thought to myself that I may have left sport at the national level, but I am not in haste to leave at the State level. Being minister of Sports Development opened my mind to a lot of possibilities,” the former lawmaker said, adding that; “It has been too long since we had Tennis greats in this country. Who says we can’t have them or better?”
Senator Enoh averred that he looks forward to bringing Nigeria to Calabar for Tennis and Football, which are the two sports he got exposed to as a teenager, adding that, “We are going to see how this will get bigger and bigger.”
The Minister who donated tennis equipment for the continuous training of young talents in Cross River, and announced sponsorship to other national tournaments for Charles Olom and Theresa Otu, was, alongside Tennis Coach, Ekpenyong Peter Effiong, awarded honors for their continuous support to the sport.
