AKWA Ibom duo Peter Lawal and Akila Azi beat Kogi 6-3 6-7 (0) 10-6 in a second round tennis doubles game at the ongoing 19th National Sports Festival (NSF), in Abuja on Tuesday.
The first set was straight forward for Akwa Ibom but they were made to sweat in the second set, which Kogi eventually took 6-7(0).
There was little to separate the teams in the third set, but Akwa Ibom summoned courage to take it, thanks to Lawal’s volleys.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), after the game, the former national junior champion said he needed to forge more understanding with his partner.
“We played well but at some point my partner was nervous but I encouraged him and he picked up himself. We need to have an understanding to play better next time.
“We also need to work on our volleys and first serve to have a better chance of going far in the tournament,” he said.
There was also victory for Akwa Ibom in the women’s doubles, as Ekpeyong Rebecca and Mary Udofa overcame their nervousness to beat Ekiti 1-6 4-6 15-13 in a second round game decided in the Centre Court.
Akwa Ibom were down 0-3 in the third set before capitalising on unforced errors by Ekiti to take the set 15-13 and wrap up victory.
“They were great players and we were carried away in the first set.
“We didn’t play well at all but we had to pick ourselves up and fight back to take the second set.
“We need to build on our communication temperament and focus on court,” she said. -NAN

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– Dec. 11, 2018 @ 16:09 GMT |