Blessing Otu and Others Reach the Second Round of CBN Senior Tennis

Hard‑fighting Blessing Otu advanced to the second round of the 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, which is being held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium tennis courts in Abuja.

Competing in the women’s singles, Otu defeated Kelvin Bebe‑Emmanuella in straight sets, 6‑1, 6‑3, in the Round of 32 to move into the Round of 16.

In a post‑match interview, the 19‑year‑old said she had taken advantage of her opponent’s left‑handed play and targeted her weaknesses. “Bebe is a very good and tough player,” she said. “But I studied her game, adopted a game plan to succeed and it worked for me.”

Otu added that Bebe tried to fight back in the second set, but she “punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on.” She hopes to maintain that level in the remaining matches.

John Otu, another member of the Otu family, beat Mohammed Abdusalam 2‑1 (6‑2, 6‑7, 6‑1) in the men’s singles Round of 64, advancing to the Round of 32.

Thomas Otu, the third Otu in the tournament, was eliminated in his opening match by Danjuma Isaac, who won 6‑0, 7‑5.

Other results include Michael Emmanuel’s win over Ibrahim Aminu, Drimiya Mevi’s 2‑1 victory over Seyi Ogunsakin (6‑7, 6‑3, 6‑1), Mohammed Dahiru’s 6‑3, 6‑4 win against Toby Ruby, and Sylvanus Agang’s 6‑1, 6‑1 triumph over Egena Peter.

Michael Chima used his experience to defeat Mathew Abamu 7‑5, 7‑6 in a closely contested match.

Play will resume on Wednesday, with the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, taking the centre court among other competitors.