Nigeria: Mofi Atilola, Isah Yahaya Emerge Most Outstanding Players

4 May 2025
This Day (Lagos)

Nigeria's brightest junior female tennis talent Mofi Atilola and Isah Yahaya have emerged the Most Outstanding Players of the 2025 CBN Junior Tennis Championship which ended in Lagos yesterday.

To emerge the best, Atilola won the Girls 14 category by defeating Godwin Success 6-0, 6-1 in the final of that category at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club on Lagos Island.

Before that final, Atilola who was given wild card to play in the Girls 16 category had caused an upset in the semi final. She beat defending champion and No.1 seed in the Girls 16s, Gloria Samuel from Ekiti, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the finals of the Girls 16 s of the CBN Junior Tennis Championship.

Atilola was on fire from the beginning, spraying forehand and backhand winners to lead 5-0 before a dazed Samuel manged to take one game.

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The story was almost the same in the second set as Mofi as she is popularly called, raced to a 4-0 lead with unbelievable defensive skills, before Samuel found her bearing to fight back to 4-4. Undaunted by the new challenge, Atilola raised her game to win the next two games to close out the match.

But in the Girls 16 final against Goodness Aina, Atilola met her match, as she succumbed to 6-1, 6-3 defeat.

Speaking shortly after losing that epic clash, Atilola told THISDAY that she was overwhelmed by the physicality of Aina.

"I was chanced by Aina's physical play. If she was of my category, there was no way I would have been beaten," observed the girl who is touted as the future face of Nigerian tennis.

Isah Yahaya on the other hand, was selected as the Most Outstanding Player in the Boys category for reaching the finals of the Boys 14 category with outstanding play. He played Joel Michael of Lagos in the Boys 14s final.

In some of the final results yesterday, Seyi Ogunsakin defeated Gbolahan Olawale from Ondo 6-4, 6-3 to win the Boys 16 final while Bayelsa's Ogoniba Excellency beat Ogungbe Emmanuel of Ogun State 6-3, 6-4 to emerge champion of the Boys 12 category.

Opuene Karina from Bayelsa defeated Rasaki Mabubat of Oyo State 3-6, 7-5, 10-9 to win the Girls 12 category.

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