Nigerian Inyang wins U-12 tennis tourney in US

Nigeria’s Gabriel Inyang rounded off his two-month training tour of the US on a glorious note last weekend beating American Jack Patricof 6-3, 6-1 to win the Feinberg U-12 Championship organised in New York by the United States Tennis Association.

It was Inyang’s second title in the US financial capital city having also emerged champion of the Beco International Junior Tennis Tournament held three weeks earlier.

The 11-year-old rising star, who was a member of the Team Nigeria that emerged overall winners of the 2016 ITF, CAT West and Central Africa Junior Qualifying Championship in Abuja in January, opened his campaign with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 bashing of Jake Ludgin and followed it with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Reece Durfman.

Michael Blitzer was his victim in the quarter-final following a 6-2, 6-3 triumph and it was the turn of Luke Hollman to bow 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinal before the Champions match with Patricof which took the Nigerian less than 45 minutes to settle.

Gabriel’s coach, Richard, who is also is dad expressed gratitude to Richie Gestern,  director of Brant Lake Camp, New York for the warm hospitality throughout their stay.

“Gabriel’s tennis success is well documented.  All he has done here in the US is to win. I see Gabriel transcends the tennis courts as he is a big winner. When you combine the qualities he possessed alongside super coaching and good parenting the future is bright,” Thomas Corveddu of Gargoyle Athletics, New York remarked during the presentation ceremony.