Teenage sensation, Abayomi Philips of Nigeria continued in his rich vein of form to reach the final of the ITF/CAT Circuit Junior De L’Afrique De L’Ouest in Lome, Togo- his second straight final on the ITF Junior Circuit.
In what was another remarkable performance, the 17-year-old proved too hot for Ivory Coast’s Ouattara Nafiralo, the tournament’s third seed, as he eased to a 6-3, 4-0 victory at the Stade Omnisports Eyadema in the Togolese capital, stretching his winning streak to nine matches.
It’s a second straight win for Philips over Nafiralo in as many weeks, with the Nigerian having claimed a three-sets victory over the Ivorian at the GTFLifetime Athletic Open in Accra last week en route to the title.
Standing between Philips and a second consecutive title is local favourite, Kodjo Charles, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victor against Himad Kouame in the second boy’s singles semifinals.
Charles came close to winning his first ITF Junior title at the Grade 5 event in Dakar, Senegal in October last year, but fell short in the final. The 2nd seed will now try to go one better this time. Philips, meanwhile, will be looking to cap off another sensational week with the title.
It’s a first time meeting between both boys.
