Sports
Seventeen-year-old Omolade Aderemi on Wednesday saw off her former coach, Patience Onebamhion-Oloyede, in a three-hour thriller at the ongoing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Senior Open Tennis Tournament.
Aderemi stunned her opponent 6-3 4-6 6-2 to advance to the quarter-finals of the women singles event.
The left-handed young lad pushed her opponent into many unforced errors, even as both players were obviously exhausted as the heat of the scorching sun crept in.
Aderemi, however maintained a balanced position, stealing points after points in a tightly-contested battle to defy all odds and claim victory against the fifth-seeded player.
“The first set was easy. I won it and was enjoying myself.
“Later, my opponent went for a toilet break, came back, changed her game and started serving long balls that became difficult for me to reach.
“Her change of game demoralised me. So, I decided to change mine as well and just take the game one point after the other,” the 18th seed said.
On the performance of her opponent, Aderemi said she expected a tough match.
“We have once played against each other in a tournament in Akure. She was my coach at some point in my career. She is a very good player.
” I used to look up to her and I am very happy to have played against her and won,” she added.
Aderemi also disclosed that the endurance training she usually engaged in at her training centre in Abeokuta really helped her see the match through.
On her part, Onebamhion-Oloyede blamed her loss on lack of training. “This is a post-COVID-19 tournament and most players are not fit enough, and the same goes for me.
“My club, the Abeokuta Sports Club, just resumed last month. So, I didn’t have enough training as I should.
“But for me to play over three hours today means I can do better in other tournaments,” she said. (NAN)
– Nov. 11, 2020 @ 17:55 GMT |
Tags: CBN Tennis Open: 17-year-old Aderemi upsets her former coach after 3-hour thriller
