Winner of Governors tennis Cup express happiness

Netherlands’ Anal Van Der Duim, the number six seed, on Sunday said he was happy to emerge as the winner of the second leg of the just-concluded Governors Cup Lagos Tennis.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports the player had defeated Zimbabwean Takanyi Garanganga, the number three seed, 6-3, 7-6 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan in the final match played on Saturday.
The match lasted for about 50 minutes, during which he displayed confidence on court.
Van Der Duim told NAN that he was excited that he won, stressing that the victory would boost his world ranking.
He said: “I am glad I won.
“This is my first time here and I had planned to make my trip worth my while.
“I also would say the competition has helped to improve on my ranking.
“The pressure during the competition was one issue I had to deal with because every player at the competition wanted to win.
“I did not give them the chance because I came for the points to improve my points tally.”
In the women’s singles, Conny Perrin of Switzerland defeated Tadeja Majeric 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to win the title.
The game, which lasted for about two hours, showed the dexterity of Conny, who was determined to win the game.
Conny told NAN that she was elated about her victory and thanked her coach for believing in her, stressing that she played one of her best games against a strong contender.
“I just played my game.
“My opponent beat me in the first leg and I had my revenge in the second.”
Sani Ndanusa, the President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, had congratulated the organisers of the competition, saying that they ensured the overall success of the event.
Ndanusa said: “I also seize this opportunity again to appeal to lovers of tennis to support the development of the sport.
“Our players need to attend many tournaments to improve on their world rankings.”
Wale Oladundoye, the tournament director, said he was still confident that the local players would improve over their foreign counterparts in future editions.
Oladunjoye said: “I wish to say this to our home-based players to take their stand and rise to the occasion and rub shoulders with their foreign counterparts in the next edition.”
The championship is made up of two tournaments — Future 3 and 4, spanning two-week duration with 64 players in participation.
Van Der Duim won a cash prize of $15,000, while Perrin from Switzerland won $25,000.
NAN.