Main draw activities at the J5 Stavanger begin on Monday, 27 January, with Nigerians Abayomi Philips, Emmanuel Jebutu and Toyin Asogba in first round action.

17-year-old Philips, the tournament’s second seed, opens against Dane qualifier Ervin Mesic. The Nigerian teen will be aiming for his second career ITF Junior title this week after his title-run at the J5 Accra in August last year.

Abayomi Philips reached the second round here in November last year.

Mesic, 15, has come through three qualifying matches to make the main draw. However, the young Dane fell in the first round here in November and another first round upset could well be in store here for him.

Emmanuel Jebutu will try to start his 2020 season on a fine note, when he takes on unseeded Swede Adrian Luddeckens. Luddeckens competed in this event in November last year, but couldn’t register a match win. Jebutu, seeded No. 8, enjoyed decent runs on the ITF Junior Circuit last year notably, at the J5 Abuja, where he made back-to-back semifinals. The youngster will take heart from those performances as he begins his quest for a first ITF title.

Emmanuel Jebutu

Talented teen, Toyin Asogba is also in first round action against Clara Cwajgenbaum of New Caledonia in the girls field. Asogba reached the quarter-finals of the J5 Abuja in November last year- her best performance on the ITF Junior Circuit. The 16-year-old will however, look to top that this week.