Igbinovia seeks wildcard to Lagos Governor's Cup

NIGERIA'S most successful player in the International Tennis Federation (ITF)-sanctioned annual Lagos Governor's Cup futures, Jonathan Igbinovia, is seeking a wildcard to participate in the championship.The Guardian leant yesterday that the United States (U.S.)-based player was making frantic efforts to contact the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) for an opportunity to fight for the title. In the history of the 11-year old international tourney, Igbinovia remains the only Nigerian to have played in the final and this, tennis buffs think, should earn him the wildcard.Igbinovia is expected in the country tomorrow when the qualifiers for competition serve off at Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. He is at present a high-performance trainer in the U.S. and had represented Nigeria at various competitions, including the Davis CupThere are strong indications that he might be considered for the slot as most Nigerian players have found it hard to halt the dominance of foreigners in the competition. Meanwhile, some of the players to compete in the qualifiers are expected to arrive in Lagos today in readiness for tomorrow's kick-off.From the National Stadium to the various tennis courts within, players have continued to sweat it out as they put finishing touches to their build-up. Such players include Henry Atseye, Clifford Enosoregbe, Abdulmumuni Babalola and Kehinde Alade.Alade, who will be making his fourth appearance at the championship, told The Guardian yesterday that he was confident of making the quarter-final stage, though his best outing yet remains the main draw at the last edition.
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