The 38th edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Open Tennis Championship ended with Michael Moses and Russian based Melissa Ifidzen emerging as champions of the men and women single categories respectively.

Melissa

In the Men’s Singles category, last year’s runners-up Michael Moses defeated Sylvester Emmanuel 6-4, 1-6, and 6-3 in the final decided at the Tennis centre court of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos, even as Melissa went back to Russia smiling by retaining the title she also won last year.

Seeded no 2 behind last year’s winner, Thomas Otu, Moses won the first set 6-4 but dropped his guards in the second set which he lost 1-6 only for him to bounce back in the third and final set of the match which he won 6-3 to lift the 38th  CBN trophy plus the N700,000 (seven hundred thousand naira) star prize cash award attached to the trophy.

In the women’s singles category, the defending champion and tournament no. 2 seed, Melissa Ifidzen, all the way from Russia proved that she was not yet ready to release her crown when she defeated last year’s runners-up and tournament top seed, Christy Agugbom 6-3, 6-2 to retain her title, thus winning it for the second time back to back. She also pocketed the N700,000 prize money that goes with the trophy.

It was indeed a sweet and fulfilled 38th  CBN senior tournament for Melissa who also paired with Sarah Adegoke to win the women’s Doubles trophy by beating the pair of Christy Agugbom (her women’s Singles victim) and Blessing Samuel 6-0, 6-2 in the final decided soon after the women’s singles final.