Sports

Davnotch National Open: Lucky Danjuma Advances to Round of 16 After Gritty Win

Published

1 year ago

July 15, 2025

Joel Ajayi

Lucky Danjuma has booked his spot in the round of 16 at the Davnotch National Open Tennis Championship following a hard-fought win over Mathew Abamu on Monday in Abuja.

The match, played at the National Tennis Centre, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, saw Danjuma edge a tense contest 6-7(8), 6-2, 4-0 (retired), after Abamu was forced to withdraw in the third set.

Danjuma, who lost the first set in a close tiebreak, bounced back with a dominant second set and took control of the third before Abamu retired.

He will now face Musa Mohammed, who progressed after Endurance Ehigiamusoe retired at 5-1 in their encounter.

Speaking after his win, Danjuma said he remains focused on winning the title, despite the challenges ahead. “This is my second time playing in this tournament. I lost in the round of 32 the first time,” he recalled.

He attributed his first-set loss to poor officiating, which affected his concentration. “The umpire’s inconsistency distracted me, but I chose to focus in the second set and it paid off,” he said.

Danjuma also confirmed his participation in the doubles category starting tomorrow and expressed confidence in his team’s chances.

On his part, Abamu acknowledged the need to improve his stamina and endurance. “Once I build these qualities, I believe I’ll perform better and find relief on the court,” he stated.

Other Results:
Men’s Singles:

Mubarak Ganiyu def. Michael Osewa 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (retired)

Abua Canice def. Stephen James 6-2, 6-1

Musa Mohammed def. Endurance Ehigiamusoe 5-1 (retired)

Women’s Singles (Round of 16 qualifiers):

Blessing Omotayo def. Favour Godwin 6-2, 6-1

Loveth Ogah def. Omotayo Osewa-Jatto 6-2, 6-4

Timipre Maxwell def. Destiny Tomozayi 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

Etoro Bassey def. Abosede Bamidele 6-2, 6-2

Success Ogunjobi def. Khadijat Salami 6-1, 6-1

Danjuma recently finished as runner-up at the VEMP National Open Tennis Championship on July 12, also in Abuja.

Over 200 players are participating in this year’s Davnotch National Open, which features men’s and women’s singles and doubles categories. The tournament, which began on July 12, will run until July 19.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

2 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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