Rofiat Abdulazeez secured victory in the women’s category at the 3rd Prime Atlantic Squash tournament, held on Saturday, July 20, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
She defeated Busayo Olatunji with a convincing 3-0 scoreline, successfully defending her title for the second consecutive year.
Abdulazeez’s exceptional performance solidified her position as a dominant force in the sport, outperforming her closest rival.
Despite the aggregate result, the match against Busayo was challenging admitted Abdulazeez, she added: “Olatunji is a tough competitor, and she gave her best effort, but an eye injury likely affected her performance.”
However, Olatunji expressed determination to train harder for the next tournament.
In the men’s final, Gabriel Olufunmilayo emerged victorious with a flawless 3-0 win over strong competitor Kehinde Samuel.
Olufunmilayo’s triumph came after narrowly missing the trophy in the 2023 edition. Shuaib Giwa, the defending champion, was unable to retain his title, as Mathew Yusuf secured the best U-19 player title with a dominant 3-0 victory.
Olufunmilayo expressed his joy: “I worked tirelessly for this win, and the results speak for themselves. Although my opponent played well, I didn’t want to relive the disappointment of last year.”
Acknowledging the sponsors, Olufunmilayo praised the Prime Atlantic tournament, which continues to improve each year.
Ayo Otuyalo, Group Managing Director of Prime Atlantic Limited, affirmed the brand’s commitment to sponsoring squash competitions as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for grassroots development.
Boye Oyerinde, President of the Nigeria Squash Federation, emphasized the bright future for squash.
He commended the young players who participated in the championship, noting their credible knowledge of the game.
The 3rd Prime Atlantic Squash Tournament, which commenced on July 15, concluded on July 20 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
Players competed for honors in the U-16 girls’ and boys’ categories.
