BY ADEYEMI ROBINSON-ADEFIOYE, LAGOS
The Governor of Lagos State, MR. BABAJIDE SANWOLU-OLU will declare closed the 2019 Lagos Open Tennis Championship on Sunday at the LAGOS LAWN TENNIS CLUB, ONIKAN.
The final matches will start by 1pm with the women’s singles, while the men’s singles follows immediately it ends.
The Lagos Open Tennis, which was formerly known as the GOVERNOR’S CUP LAGOS TENNIS, is an annual tournament organised to celebrate the sitting Governor of Lagos State since the administration of ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU.
This year’s tournament is the first to be held since GOVERNOR SANWOLU-OLU assumed power on 29 May, 2019.
The Governor who is expected to watch the men’s singles final will declare the tournament closed. Members of the Lagos State Executive Council, who include the Deputy Governor, FEMI HAMZAT, Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, SEGUN DAWODU and others will accompany the Governor to the final ceremony.
The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, MR. SUNDAY DARE, Permanent Secretary OLUSADE OLUSOLA, Publisher Guardian newspaper, MADIEN ALEX-IBRU will be in attendance.
Also expected are MS. CAROL COX, Deputy Consular Section Chief and MR. RUSSELL BROOKS, Public Affairs Officer both from the UNITED STATES CONSULATE GENERAL in Lagos who were also at the Lagos LAWN TENNIS CLUB, ONIKAN to watch matches of the doubles finals on Saturday.
The LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE (LOC) headed by CHIEF PIUS AKINYELURE says a host of other dignitaries will be on ground to add colours to the ceremony, so also are the management staff of sponsor companies like HEINEKEN BEER, JULIUS BERGER, LASACO, LAGOS STATE INLAND REVENUE SERVICE (LIRS) and others.
Meanwhile, finalists in both men and women’s singles emerged after matches in the semi finals were played on Saturday.
In the men’s singles, winner of the first leg, Frenchman CALVIN HEMERY will aim to win the competition back to back this year when he takes on ALDIN SETKIC from Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the women’s singles final will be a battle between Slovenia NASTJA KOLAR and Indian RIYA BHATIA.