The grand finale of the 2017 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Tennis League Cup begins this weekend where Team Civil Defence will battle with Team Muller for the star prize at stake.
Four matches will be decided on Saturday at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Court, Onikan, with the remaining three games slated for Sunday, December 10 at the same venue to be followed by the presentation of prizes.
Unarguably, tennis buffs would have a lot of exciting moments to behold in Lagos, as Team Muller had in the season’s opener dimmed Team Civil Defence right in Abuja 4-3, thus the stage is set for a grudge final.
The eventual winners of the 2017 NCC Tennis League Cup will go home N7million as prize money, while the finalists settle for N5million.
Since the defeat of the Abuja landlords in the first match of the season, they never lost a game and this serves as a boost for them ahead of the showdown with Lagos-based Team Muller who remain unbeaten this season.
Talk of experienced players, Civil Defence have enough to win any fixture and no wonder they dismissed title holders, Team Offikwu 6-1 in the semi-final played in Abuja last weekend.
The 2015 finalists boast current Nigeria’s number one and reigning CBN Senior Open champion, Abdulmumuni Babalola; former national champion, Clifford Enosorogbe; Nigeria’s women’s singles number one, Christie Agugbom; hard fighting Nonso Madueke and enterprising Michael Chima, among others to overwhelm any team on a good day.
Babalola, six-time CBN winner, is determined to propel his team to the first NCC Tennis League title this time, but believes they need luck in Lagos.
“We are going to try our best and we believe with luck, our victory is possible,” Babalola said as he prepares for Rainoil tournament which begins also in Lagos next week.
However, Team Muller with a crop of youthful players humiliated Team Ndoma-Egba 5-2 in the semi-final played at the Enugu Sports Club and look unstoppable in their bid to join the list of the NCC Tennis League winners.
The Lagos-side parade the likes of 2017 Dala Hard Court finalist, Joseph Imeh, fast-improving Emmanuel Itodo and in form Ronke Akingbade, among others to make victory happen on a good day.
One of the matchups to look forward to in Lagos is the possible clash between youngster, Imeh and veteran Babalola for the third time this year.
Babalola had beaten Imeh to win the 2017 CBN Senior title in May this year, while the latter got a sweet revenge in August in the NCC Tennis League season’s opener when he nicked home a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Also, Enosorogbe will aspire to seek his pound of flesh this time when he faces Imeh, who had beaten twice this year.
Imeh in the first game of the NCC Tennis League season triumphed 6-4, 6-3 over Enosoregbe. Also last month in Kano, he spanked the Edo State-born former national champion {Enosorogbe} 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Dala Hard Court.
Team Tombim of Abuja, it will be recalled, won the inaugural NCC Tennis League Cup in 2015 while Team Offikwu won the 2016 edition.
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