National Ranking Tour has a new champion after Benjamin Palm beat Johnson Acquah in straight sets 6-1,6-3 in 1hour -54 minutes to win the 2017 National ranking Tour 6 on Friday afternoon at Accra Sports Stadium Tennis Court.
Both Benjamin Palm and Johnson Acquah made history playing their first finals and also belong to Accra Lawn Tennis Club. Palm is the third player from Accra Lawn Tennis Club to win the title and he did it with a splendid backhand winner that left Acquah rooted to the baseline while he went berserk in the stands jubilation with his fans.
Palm had the bigger weapons, held his nerve better on the big points and fully deserved the victory. He sealed it with one of the best serves in the game – a punishing two-fisted backhand – that steadily dismantled Johnson’s defensive game, as well as a delightful array of forehand winners.
After the win, Palm said “I am truly happy with this achievement. The other players played their best, Johnson in particular. After Beating Francis Gbolonyo in the semifinals it occurred to me, I had to win this tournament.”
Some fans were hopeful Johnson could land his first title after causing the tournament’s biggest upset, beating Francis Gbolonyo in 7-5, 6-1 at the semis. Palm, however, adopted a very aggressive strategy in the finals to come on top.
In an interview with Johnson after the match, he told tennisgh.com that he was very happy to have played in his first final especially when no one had tipped him at the start of the tournament. He added that “I believe my constant training brought me this far and I will continue to train very harder”.
Source Tennisgh.com