Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has praised Nigerian teenage tennis sensation Oluwaseun Ogunsakin after his historic Wimbledon debut ended in a narrow first-round defeat.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Mr Fayemi, who watched the match alongside his wife, Bisi, described the 17-year-old as an exceptional talent with a bright future, recalling how his administration supported the youngster’s development years ago.
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“I have followed Seun’s meteoric rise since my time as Governor, when we sponsored him to the ITF Tennis Academy in Tunisia,” Mr Fayemi wrote.
“Since then, he has competed in several major tournaments in and out of Africa, including the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. This was his first outing at Wimbledon and he gave a good account of himself despite a narrow defeat.”
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Ogunsakin’s historic return to the Wimbledon singles stage ended on Sunday after he lost 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to Britain’s Oliver Page in the boys’ singles event.
Playing in front of a home crowd on Court 6, Page claimed the opening set before the Nigerian fought back brilliantly to level the match. The deciding set remained on a knife edge until the Briton edged ahead late to book his place in the second round.
Despite the defeat, Ogunsakin leaves the All England Club having achieved a major milestone for Nigerian tennis. He became the first Nigerian in 36 years to compete in the Wimbledon singles draw and the country’s first singles representative at any Grand Slam tournament in more than a decade.
The Aurum Tennis Academy player earned his place in the main draw through an impressive qualifying campaign. He defeated British wildcard Archie Gray before overpowering Canada’s top-ranked junior, Benjamin Azar, to seal his place at the Championships.
Mr Fayemi expressed confidence that the teenager’s best years are still ahead of him.
“Seun has great prospects because of his exceptional talent and I look forward to greater strides from him in future,” he said.
The former governor also commended Ogunsakin’s coach, Jan Richfield Dongo, for guiding the youngster’s development and acknowledged the contributions of Bayo Okauru and Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, whom he credited with supporting the player’s journey over the years.
READ ALSO: Wimbledon: Nigerian teenager Ogunsakin makes history with Grand Slam qualification
“Seun, thank you for making Ekiti and Nigeria proud on the global stage. Better luck next time,” Mr Fayemi added.
The Aurum Tennis Academy also described the Wimbledon campaign as a historic breakthrough, noting that Ogunsakin’s qualification and performance had inspired a new generation of Nigerian tennis players.
The teenager has steadily built his reputation on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior circuit through the ITF High Performance Centre in Tunisia and the ITF/Grand Slam Player Development Programme.
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