The duo of Abayomi Philips and Emmanuel Jebutu came up short in their doubles semi-final contest at the J5 Stavanger in Norway today.
The youngsters, who were bidding for a second ITF doubles title as a team, failed to secure the final ticket as they were beaten 6-1, 6-2 by the Ukrainian-Japanese pairing of Volodymyr Iakubenko and Lennon Jones.
Philips and Jebutu had impressed in the earlier rounds, producing gritty displays to come from a set down and secure wins in both the doubles first round and quarter-finals of the Grade 5 hard-court tournament. Today however, wasn’t the best day for them.
Emmanuel Jebutu and Abayomi Philips began their doubles campaign in Stavanger on Tuesday with a 3-set victory over Evin Mesic and Felipe Mikkelsen of Denmark.
Both boys alongside Toyin Asogba—who competed in the girls field in Stavanger—will now move to Denmark as the jostle for top honours and vital ranking points on the ITF Junior Tour continues.
17-year-old Philips and Jebutu, 15, have been listed in the boys main draw at the ITF Copenhagen—a Grade 4 hard – indoor event—which begins 10 February. Asogba will also compete at the event, with the 16-year-old listed in the girls qualifying draw.
