Abdulazeez eyes title at squash championship

Nigeria’s top-ranked female squash player, Rofiat Abdulazeez, said her goal is to win the championship trophy at the ongoing Prime Atlantic Squash Championship in Lagos.
Speaking yesterday with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abdulazeez said it’s encouraging when players train all year and have tournaments to test their skills.
She commended the organisers of the Prime Atlantic Squash Championship for consistently providing a platform for players to develop over the past four years.
Abdulazeez, last year’s women’s singles champion, said she aims to deliver another strong performance and successfully defend her title at the ongoing competition.
She recently clinched the gold medal in the women’s singles event at the 2025 National Sports Festival, defeating her Kwara teammate Blessing Issac in the final.
Abdulazeez said she hopes to break into the world’s top 50 squash rankings before the end of 2025.
“I look forward to playing well and defending my women’s singles title from last year,” Abdulazeez told NAN.
“It’s a scoring event and therefore very important for every player who takes the game seriously,” she added.
Abdulazeez defeated Esther Opiye 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 to secure a place in the round of 16.
Opiye said her opponent was more experienced and tougher, but she still learned something valuable from the match despite the defeat.
Another rising star, Victory Tontonye from Bayelsa, said the championship had helped her improve her skills and she is proud of her progress.
Tontonye, who began playing squash just three years ago, was introduced to the sport by a friend in Bayelsa.
She revealed her mother initially disapproved, but she worked harder to prove she was serious about excelling in squash.
NAN reports that Tontonye won a silver medal in the women’s singles at the recently concluded National Sports Festival in Ogun.
Her medal broke a longstanding record—no female squash player had ever medalled at the Sports Festival before her.
She credited Prime Atlantic and similar tournaments for helping her grow and chase her dream of becoming a top squash contender.
In Day-3 matches, Aishat Abdulraheem defeated Salami Maryam 11-1, 11-2, 11-2 in the U-19 women’s category.
Deborah Idowu also won her match 11-4, 11-4, 11-3, securing a straight-set victory.
Mariam Oshodi beat Loveth Balogun 11-4, 11-2, 11-4, while Ishola Zainob defeated Chioma Ude 11-4, 11-7, 11-5.
The competition, taking place at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, began on June 9 and ends on June 14.