Two tennis players, Joseph Anakpe and Sakina Adams from Tema have won this year’s Ashfoam Hard Invitational Tournament organized by the KNUST Tennis Club over the weekend in Kumasi. 

The second edition of the tennis invitational tournament was expanded to allow over 20 players, including children from Sunyani, Accra, Ashaiman, and Tema, to compete.

Sakina Adams, the No.2 seed in KNUST delivered a commanding performance to clinch the women’s singles title while Joseph produced nerves of steel to defeat home favorite Hope in a dramatic, men’s final.

He won a cash prize of GH¢4,000.

In the Boys Under 13 category, the Winner Joseph Narh Dok walked away with a cash prize of GH¢600 while Runners up, Raman Iddrisu received GH¢400.

On Court 2, Adams needed less than an hour to wrap up the women’s final, sweeping aside Blessing Owusu in an emphatic fashion.

The No. 2 seed was ruthless from the first serve, barely putting a foot wrong as she raced to a 6-0, 6-0 victory, showcasing her superior movement, consistency, and shot placement.

Owusu struggled to find rhythm against Adams’ relentless pressure, as the latter dominated proceedings from baseline to net.

“I won’t say it was easy. She (Blessing) played well but I had to play and win. My target is to win more trophies for KNUST. It’s my dream to play in one of the colleges in the USA.”- Sakina told Luv FM.

The men’s final, however, provided far more drama. Joseph Anakpe and Hope Amartey were locked in a high-quality contest when the rains forced a pause in play during the third set, with Hope leading 6-5.

At that point, the match was delicately poised, with both players having shared the first two sets—Hope taking the opener 6-2 before Joseph responded with a 6-2 win of his own.

After an hour-long delay, the final resumed under tense conditions, but it was Joseph who handled the moment better. Showing composure and mental toughness, he edged the deciding set in a tiebreak, winning 7-3 to seal a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory to secure the men’s singles title.

The Ashfoam Hard Hitters Invitational Tournament once again highlighted the growing competitiveness and quality of tennis on campus.

Speaking after the event, Chairman of KNUST Tennis Club Prof. James Kyekyeku said: ” The vision is to prepare the players for the University (KNUST)team.

“Because we are a university club we want to raise our players so that they can conquer other universities but the larger goal is to make them professionals to make a living out of tennis.”