Nigeria made a winning start to their Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III campaign in Botswana on Monday, edging Burundi 2-1 to boost their hopes of securing promotion.
The Nigerians took an early advantage in the opening singles match as Khadijat Mohammed outclassed her Burundian opponent with a commanding 6-0 victory.
Burundi, however, restored parity in the second singles after Ange Ishimwe defeated Success Ogunjobi 6-3, 6-3, forcing the tie into a decisive doubles encounter.
With the contest on the line, Nigeria relied on the experienced partnership of Oyinlomo Quadre and Ogunjobi, and the pair delivered under pressure.
They raced into the lead with an early break, dominated the opening set 6-1, and stayed composed in the second before Ogunjobi struck a forehand winner to clinch the match and hand Nigeria a 2-1 victory.
The result gives Nigeria an encouraging start in Group C, where only the group winners will earn promotion from Africa Group III.
The Nigerian team arrived in Botswana confident of ending a run of near misses and finally securing elevation to the next level of the competition.
Organised by the International Tennis Federation, the Billie Jean King Cup is the world’s leading women’s team tennis tournament.
Nigeria has steadily built a reputation as one of the strongest sides in Africa Group III through consistent displays in both singles and doubles events.
Captain Rotimi Akinloye guided the team to within touching distance of promotion in 2024 after Nigeria finished top of their round-robin group.
Quadre has also emerged as the country’s most successful player in the competition, holding Nigeria’s records for the highest number of overall, singles and doubles victories.
Together with rising stars Mohammed and Ogunjobi, Quadre is expected to spearhead Nigeria’s latest push for promotion in Botswana.
