NCC Tennis League: Team Civil Defence beat Kalotari in PH

Team Civil Defence at the weekend stunned Team Kalotari of Port Harcourt right in the Garden City with a 4-3 defeat to qualify for the semi-final of the 2017 Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC Tennis League.
The 2015 finalists finished second in the Blue Group with four points behind Team Muller of Lagos who amassed maximum five points.
Before the Garden City showdown, both teams were tied on three points each, thus had their hope of advancing to the semi-final of the NCC Tennis League on the outcome of the game.
Former national champion, Clifford Enosorogbe sent a red signal to the homers when he outplayed reigning National Sports Festival Champion, Christian Paul 6-1, 6-4, as reigning CBN national champion, Abdulmumuni Babalola followed suit with the defeat of Ikechukwu Iloputa 6-4, 6-2 in the second men’s singles.
Nigeria’s number one in the ladies singles, Christie Agugbom made it 3-0 in favour of Team Civil Defence when she survived the scare from rising star and national junior champion Angel McLeod to win 6-2, 7-5.
The Abuja landlords almost reduced the Sunday’s remaining fixtures to mere formality save for the victory of Kalotari in the men’s doubles on the day.
Christian Paul and Ikechukwu Iloputa in a game which was decided by tie-break edged the Team Civil Defence’s pair of Clifford Enosorogbe and Nonso Madueke 6-1, 0-6, 10-6.
With the 3-1 scoreline on Saturday, Team Kalotari the following day came back stronger as Christian Paul this time in the reverse men’s singles outplayed Abdulmumuni Babalola 6-3, 6-3.
However, the semi-final dream of the hosts was finally buried when Clifford Enosorogbe silenced Ikechukwu Iloputa 6-4, 6-4 in the second reverse men’s singles as it sealed victory for the Abuja-side.
The Sunday Samuel-coached Team Kalotari however, won the last game when the duo of Christian Paul and Angel McLeod in the mixed doubles pipped Team Civil Defence’s Michael Chima and Bukola Olowu 6-3, 6-3, but the effort was not good enough for the Garden City side to advance.
Meanwhile, with the defending champions Team Offikwu already in the semi-final, the battle for the second spot in the White Group will be decided this weekend at the National Stadium, Abuja between Team Ndoma-Egba and Team Goshen of Ilorin.
Also this weekend, Team Offikwu face Team CBN Futures in Kaduna, while Team Tech Vibe battle with Team Yetade in Jos in dead rubber games.
According to the organisers of the NCC Tennis League, the winners go home with N7million as the finalists earn N5million, while the third and fourth-placed teams will settle for N3million and N2million respectively as prize money.