Top Juniors Set to Battle for Final Spots at CBN Tennis Championships
The 2026 CBN Junior Tennis Championships have reached a critical juncture as top junior players have emerged from the intense round-robin stage, setting the stage for thrilling semifinal clashes across multiple age categories. The tournament continues to showcase Nigeria's burgeoning tennis talent with several standout performances already recorded.
Boys' 16s Category Showdown
In the Boys' 16s category, Heman Afaramai and Damilola Agunbiade delivered particularly impressive performances, finishing the round-robin stage unbeaten to lead the race for final spots. Afaramai, representing Ikeja Police College Tennis Club, will face Joel Michael of Mainland Tennis Club in one semifinal match. Meanwhile, Agunbiade of Calabar Sports Club will take on Wisdom Effiong of GEUF Tennis Academy, Uyo, in the other semifinal clash.
Girls' 12s and Boys' 12s Matchups
The Girls' 12s category features exciting matchups with Amira Mohammed of Kwara State set to square off against Venus Babalola of Oyo State. In the second semifinal, Pinky Onyemenam of Abuja will face fellow Abuja-based player Chimdiuto Obiora. The Boys' 12s event will see tournament favorite Gideon Peter of LekMak Tennis Academy, Ekiti, battle Best Babalola of Oyo State, while Moroti Sowemimo of Lagos meets Kingronnie Onyemenam of Abuja in the other semifinal.
Standout Performer Barakat Ganiyu
One of the tournament's most remarkable stories involves Barakat Ganiyu, who has impressed spectators and officials by qualifying for the semifinals in both the Girls' 14s and 16s categories after being granted permission to compete above her age group. Ganiyu won all her matches in her own age group and lost just once in the Girls' 16s category. She will now face top seed Gloria Samuel of LekMak Tennis Academy in the Girls' 16s semifinal. The second semifinal in this category will feature Favour James of GEUF Tennis Academy taking on Omoyinka Ayinla of Ogun State.
In the Girls' 14s category, Ganiyu will also battle Pinky Onyemenam, who similarly stepped up from the Girls' 12s to reach the semifinals. The other Girls' 14s semifinal will feature Khadijat Wuraola against Sinmi Olaniyan.
Boys' 14s and Tournament Significance
The Boys' 14s semifinals will see Alaba Adesina of Oyo State face Mohammed Jubril-Abdulkarim of Kwara State, while Divine Ezaka of Mainland Tennis Club takes on Godwin Afaramai of Ikeja Police College Tennis Club. The CBN Junior Tennis Championship, which has run for over two decades, continues to play a crucial role in developing Nigeria's strong junior tennis pipeline and identifying future tennis stars.
The tournament's grand finale will be held at the prestigious Ikoyi Club on Saturday, with matches scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The event represents a significant opportunity for young Nigerian tennis players to showcase their skills on a national platform and potentially advance their tennis careers.
