Top seed, Marylove Edwards overcame Blanche Minet, the 2nd seed from Ivory Coast, in three sets to claim the NTF International Junior Championships girls singles title, while Canice Abua edged Musa Mohammed in straight sets to emerge boys singles champion.
Edwards, competing in her first ITF Junior title, prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to claim her maiden ITF Junior title, becoming the third Nigerian to win an ITF junior title this year after Oyinlomo Quadre (Megrine, Tunisia, in April, and Cotonou in September) and Abayomi Philips (Accra, Ghana, in August). Canice Abua became the fourth shortly after.
![Marylove Edwards, Canice Abua emerge J5 Abuja champions 1 DSC 0626](http://ntftennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DSC_0626.jpg)
Marylove Edwards celebrates.
Minet, though, drew first blood, breaking Edwards’ opening service game for 1-0. Momentum shifts would characterize the first set, with Edwards leading 3-2 and Minet finding an edge later on to break for 5-4. The Ivorian, however, couldn’t serve the set out, leaving Edwards to break right back and then, take the next two games to close out the set.
The top seed however lost her way in the second set, as Minet opened a 5-2 lead before going on to secure the set and even the match.
![Marylove Edwards, Canice Abua emerge J5 Abuja champions 2 1573410370892 DSC 0556](http://ntftennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1573410370892_DSC_0556.jpg)
Blanche Minet
Edwards, after losing the second set, raised her level, and then raised it some more to sail smoothly through the third set and emerge victorious, capping off a sensational week in which she also claimed the girls doubles title.
![Marylove Edwards, Canice Abua emerge J5 Abuja champions 3 Screenshot 20191110 1938222](http://ntftennis.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Screenshot_20191110-1938222.png)
Marylove Edwards and Blanche Minet claimed the girls doubles title on Saturday.
In the boys final, Canice Abua wrapped up a superb week in which he didn’t drop a set, with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Musa Mohammed.
Mohammed had broken Abua in the 5th game of the opening set for 3-2, but the 14-year-old rallied to draw level before both boys guided the set into a tiebreak, which Abua took. In the second set, Abua stepped up again as he hit through his opponent to claim victory and clinch his first ITF Junior title.