Tournament No.1 seed Desmond Ayaaba ended his fellow compatriot No.2 seed Abubakari Yakubu-Lea's perfect start to 2022 in an exciting battle.
Yakubu-Lea looked more comfortable on return but struggled to break determined Ayaaba who 6-1, 6-3 at Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Yakubu-Lea, who claimed victory at the Tennis Foundation Ghana ITF Accra J5 Open week 1 earlier this month, made unforced errors in the match compared to Ayaaba.After the match, Desmond said, I'm so happy, I can't even describe it'.
Desmond went 3-1 to maintain in the decisive moment to the set 6-1. Desmond had led in the second set with an early break, but was pegged back as the big-hitting Yakubu took charge. But Desmond whose resilience and fitness have been his hallmark, broke back to lead again 5-3. Desmond sent a long forehand on championship point to earn his first-ever singles ITF Juniors title.
"I can't believe it. If you'd have told me I'd have won before the tournament started, I wouldn't have believed you, so it's wonderful," said Desmond.
In the boy's doubles, Ghana's pair Desmond Ayaaba combined with Raphael Nii Ankrah to beat Ivorian duo Franky Martial Hoimian and Pattern Kouadio 6-2, 6-4 to win the boy's doubles title.
