14-year-old Nigerian Makes History In Tennis Championship

The CAT West Africa and Central Africa Junior Tennis Championship ended with a thrilling climax as 14 year old,Ohunene Yakubu, made history by becoming the first Nigerian to win the singles and doubles event in the Girls Under 16 African Junior Championship.

She won her singles final against Gnarou Anne-Marie of Togo 6-0, 6-0. Later on she partnered with her compatriot Etoro Bassey, to win the doubles final against Tomegah Sisu-Makena and Tracy Ampah of Ghana 6-1, 6-2.

Before making it to the final,she played a four-hour long final set match against a very resilient Tracy Ampah, the tournament’s number two seed, before emerging victorious with a 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 win to meet Gnarou.

The rising tennis sensation is gradually becoming a household name within the tennis community in Nigeria and beyond.

In 2015, Yakubu emerged winner of the MLMTP Tennis Open U-8, building on her earlier success when she won the Junior U-10 Governors Cup, and the CBN Junior National Tennis Open tournament U-10 category in 2017.

In 2018, she once again emerged winner of the CBN Junior National Tennis Open U-10. Yakubu also dominated the U-12,7 UP Secondary School Tennis Championship, the U-12 FAAN Tennis Club tournament, the U-12 Girls double Kone Tennis Tournament and the U-10 MP Tiger Tennis tournament.

Not resting on her laurels,in 2019 she emerged winner of the Chief Bero U-14 Championship.The athlete later bagged Chevron U-12 National Junior Masters Invitational tournament. She added the Chevron U-12 Tennis tournament to her long list of impressive wins.

In 2020, Yakubu won the U-14 CBN Junior National Tennis Tournament and the U-14 Azimuth National Tennis Championship.She won the gold medal in the team event, U-12 African Junior Championship, West and Central zone, in Benin Republic.

Yakubu was the Abuja runner up of the U-16 Sapetro Futures Tournament.