16th September, 2014
Taiwo Adelu & Damilare Okunola
There is no doubt that players that came to Lagos, Nigeria for the annual Governor’s Cup Tennis have climbed their ways up the ladder of their career in the game.
Such is the story of Indian Sania Mirza and South African Raven Klaasen who made big impact at the recently concluded 2014 US Open early this month.
Mirza partnered Brazilian Bruno Soares to win the U.S. Open mixed doubles title after beating the duo of American Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico in a grueling fight that ended 6-1, 2-6, 11-9.
Since she came to the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship in 2004 with her mother, where she won Futures 1 and 2 of the Women’s Singles of that year’s tournament at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Mirza, who was named one of the ’50 heroes of Asia’ by Time in October, 2005, left no one in doubt the extent she wanted to rise in her career after leaving Lagos.
In 2005, she became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open, where she famously defeated Marion Bartoli, before losing to top seed Maria Sharapova in the Round of 16. In August 2007, she had her career highest ranking of 27 in the world. She remains perhaps the biggest reference for the Governor’s Cup, which is not only International Tennis Federation, ITF, approved, but also ranks as the biggest on the continent.
Klaasen on the other hand, made a statement at the 2014 US Open where he reached the doubles quarterfinals with American partner Eric Butorac in the US Open.
South Africa’s Davis Cup stalwart Klaasen has also broken into the world’s top 20 doubles rankings for the first time. Klaasen moved up from 23rd position to 20th last week after his quarter final outing at the US Open.
“This is a memorable achievement for me reaching the top 20 mark and improving 25 places over the course of the year,” Klaasen, 31, said.
“I am also gratified by the enormous messages of support I received from South Africa before the US Open quarterfinals.”
The South African emerged Champion of 2003 Governor’s Cup Futures 2 after defeating Martin Staner of Austria 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. He was also in Lagos in the 2010 edition
Prince Wale Oladunjoye, Tournament Director of the ITF Pro Circuit, Governor’s Cup since its debut in 2000 said he was not surprised with the success of the two players after they passed through Lagos. He said players always come from as far afield as Japan, Russia, Czech Republic, Taipei, Croatia, Slovakia, India, Australia and others.
“Governor’s Cup has become a yearly pilgrimage for these tennis players to congregate in Lagos as they seek to explode on the world stage. One of such players that had used the Governor’s Cup as a spring board for greater things is Sania Mirza.
“It looks like yesterday that the Indian star came to Lagos and won the Futures, but it is actually 2004. Mirza who came to Nigeria then with her mother went on to play in the Grand Slams.
Although no Nigerian has won the championships since that earliest edition when Sule Ladipo won it, Prince Oladunjoye, who is also the Principal Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State, is satisfied with the strides the competition has made over the years and its impact on the world stage.
So also is the President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, Engr. Sani Ndanusa, who shares the belief of Oladunjoye who said: “The Governor’s Cup is always a launching pad for players to play in bigger tournaments. Nigeria also has to key into this system, especially our local players.
“The sponsors should also be kind enough to engage the players in order to help them attend tournaments outside the country, that way our players will also get ATP points to play at any major Grand Slam across the world.”
One of the national coaches, Bulus Hussaini, noted that Governor’s Cup has been helping players across the world to pick good ATP points, adding that “the foreign players wouldn’t even mind playing from the qualifiers because they are sure to play in the Main Draws. So, they strive as hard as they can to come along especially as they have sponsors who help them pay their way to Lagos.
“The points they get when they come to Lagos help them improve on the ATP rankings. That is why they make it a point of duty to come around for the tournament every October. I hope that our players will get to such levels very soon.”