Nasarawa born Heman Afaramai narrowly escaped elimination as he fought his way into the Boys 16s semifinals of the Sapetro Futures Tennis tournament at the Mainland Tennis Club inside the National Stadium.
Afaramai, who has won the Boys 16s title at the last three junior tournaments, faced a tough challenge from Abuja based Godwin Akinfumiloye in a closely contested group stage encounter.
After both players won a set each, Akinfumiloye took control of the deciding tie break, leading 5 3 before extending his advantage to 7 5. With his title hopes hanging in the balance, Afaramai produced two fearless forehand winners before combining a strong serve and volley play to complete a remarkable comeback and win the tie break 10 8.
The victory kept Afaramai’s hopes of retaining his title alive, while Dami Agunbiade of Calabar Sports Club also secured a place in the semifinals after surviving the highly competitive Group B, which has lived up to its billing as the group of death. The battle for the remaining semifinal places in the group is still ongoing.
There was also intense action in the Girls 14s category, where Adesinmi Olaniyan of Ondo State missed a major opportunity after failing to convert three match points in the final set against Anu Odebode of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.
Olaniyan’s defeat opened the door for the other semifinalists, with Khadijat Wuraola of Kwara State, Kimberly Ogundeji of Ogun State and Barakat Ganiyu of Oyo State joining the last four.
The Boys 12s semifinals are also expected to provide another exciting contest. Godwin Afaramai, Heman’s younger brother, will face Abdulmalik Salau of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, while Raphael Awi of the Police College takes on Ogun State’s Ademola Adejumobi in the other semifinal.
The Sapetro Futures Tennis tournament, which is being held at the Mainland Tennis Club in the National Stadium, will conclude on Saturday with the grand finale scheduled to begin at noon.
