Nigerian teens, Oiza Yakubu and Joshua Aji fell short in their respective encounters at the ITF/CAT Circuit Junior De L’Afrique De L’Ouest in Lome on Tuesday.
Yakubu was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by 3rd seed, Vania Dotse of Togo in the second round, while Aji was stopped in three sets by India’s No.5 seed Jaishvin Sidana in his own second round contest.
Aji had taken the first set, but Sidana rallied impressively to claim a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win and deny the Nigerian a place in the third round of the boys’ singles category.
Meanwhile, in the boys’ doubles event, Emmanuel Jebutu made a smooth partnership with Togo’s Kodjo Charles- the duo beating the Togolese pair of Amevi Justin and Isak Padio 7-5, 6-1 to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash with the Nigerian-Beninese duo of Abayomi Philips and Vence N’tcha on Wednesday.
Philips and N’tcha competed in the boys’ singles final of the GTFLifetime Open in Accra last week, with Philips emerging victorious.
Elsewhere in the girls’ doubles, Oiza Yakubu and her partner, Louise Ratziu of Belgium were edged by Chakira Dermane and Serena Geli of Togo 7-6, 3-6, 10-7.
Abayomi Philips and Emmanuel Jebutu are in third round action on Wednesday, with Philips taking on Johnson Acquah of Ghana, while Jebutu faces Cameroon’s Wamba Ngouadjio.
