The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Junior Tennis Championship opened with a series of upsets as top seeds stumbled in the early round robin matches at the National Stadium.
In the Boys 16 category, top seed Isah Yahaya suffered a shock 4-9 defeat to Ikeja Police College Club’s Heman Afaramai.
Yahaya, the 2025 Boys 14 champion and pre-tournament favourite, fell behind early as Afaramai raced to a 4-1 lead and held on despite attempts to recover.
The result leaves Yahaya needing victories in his remaining matches to stay in contention.
Another upset came in the Boys 12 event, where eight-year-old Kingronnie Oyemenam from Abuja defeated fourth seed Jedidiah Essien of GEUF Tennis Academy.
Oyemenam delivered a composed and consistent performance to secure the win against the higher-ranked opponent.
In the Girls 16 category, the absence of defending champion Aina Goodnews has opened up the field, with last year’s runner-up Gloria Samuel and GEUF Academy’s Favour James emerging as early favourites.
However, the Wuraola sisters, Ziyyadat and Khadijat from Kwara State, have positioned themselves as strong contenders after convincing wins over Destiny Dahz and Sarah Peter from Lagos.
Ziyyadat defeated Destiny Dahz 9-3, while Khadijat beat Sarah Peter 9-2.
The preliminary round robin matches are ongoing at the National Stadium, with the tournament set to conclude at the Ikoyi Club on Saturday.
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