Tennis: Nigeria-Born Player Excited Over WTA Ranking

Tennis: Nigeria-Born Player Excited Over WTA Ranking

German-born, Nigerian descent Noma Noha Akugue is elated following her latest position in the WTA ranking, BSNSports.com.ng report.

Noma's parents emigrated from Nigeria to Hamburg, Germany before she and her two younger brothers were born.

The 16-year-old player has a couple of ITF under 18 tournaments and believed it's time for her to try her at the senior level.

Over the past eight weeks, she has reached three finals, including her first two at the W60 level in Hechingen and Prague. In May, she won her maiden ITF singles title at W15 Cairo and went on to finish runner-up at the same venue a week later.

“I’m proud to make those finals after I was injured for nine months,” she reflected. “I couldn’t serve, and it was tough for me to come back. The beginning of the year was also really tough for me because I didn’t have match practice. Everything was gone.

“I think it was a good decision to end with the juniors,” she reflected. My position was Top 100, but not that good. It was a good decision to turn pro as I got some help from Barbara Rittner with wild cards into W25s and so on in Germany.

Now I’m 305 in the WTA rankings. That means so much to me,” she said. “At the beginning of the year I didn’t think I could do 200-300, I didn’t have those expectations.

I’m proud and also a bit shocked that I’m now [near the top] 300 and playing so good this summer. It showed me that I can play with the Top 100 or Top 200 players with my level, and also play against Top 200 players and win", she told ITF media.