ITF Juniors Tournament: Duvor Klu claims with straight-sets victory over Gakpo

Ghana’s Gwendolyn Duvor Klu has won the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament in Accra after beating Togolese player and doubles partner Winner Gakpo in straight sets.

The 16-year-old produced a strong performance to win 6-2, 6-2, improving on her second-place finish at last year’s tournament.

Duvor Klu admitted she was nervous at the beginning of the final, having fallen short in last year’s championship match.

“I was quite nervous at the start because obviously last year, I made the final but I came second. This year, I wanted to win it,” she told JoySports.

The final also presented an unusual challenge for the Ghanaian, as she lined against Gakpo, her doubles partner.

“This year, I was playing against my doubles partner, so it’s a bit weird, but we still had to do it,” she added.

Duvor Klu said the difference between this year’s performance and last year’s was the greater focus on tactics and having a clear plan for the match.

“I was using more game plan and tactics (this year) than last year, so I had specific patterns of play and things put in place,” she explained.

Despite taking control of the second set, Duvor Klu said she briefly felt the pressure when she was serving for the match at 5-1.

“At the end, when I was winning the second set 5-1, I was quite nervous and it went to 5-2,” she said.

She eventually held her serve to close out the match 6-2 and secure the title.

“Luckily, I ended my serve and won 6-2, so I am happy,” she said.

The victory adds to an important period in Duvor Klu’s young career. She recently made her senior national team debut for Ghana’s Diamond Rackets at the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament in Botswana.

The ITF Junior Tennis Tournament will run until October 10.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.