Nigeria's women’s tennis team has made history by earning a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Europe/Africa Group II for the first time. They achieved this after defeating the hosts, Botswana, 2-1 in the promotion playoff at the 2026 Europe/Africa Group III qualifiers in Gaborone.
The team, made up of Etoro Bassey, Success Ogunjobi, Khadijat Mohammed, and Oyinlomo Quadre, is coached by Rotimi Akinloye. Earlier, they topped Group C at the qualifiers, winning against Burundi, Namibia, and Madagascar. But they faced a setback when they lost 2-1 to Tunisia.
Nigeria bounced back by beating Botswana in the final match, securing their place in the promotion playoff. They went on to win against Botswana again, marking a historic achievement for the team.
This is Nigeria's first time moving up to the Europe/Africa Group II since they joined the competition in 2021. The team almost reached this goal in 2024, after topping their group and defeating the hosts, Kenya, before losing to South Africa in the key promotion round.
This victory comes shortly after Nigeria’s promotion to the Davis Cup World Group II earlier this year. It shows the growth of Nigeria’s tennis programs for both men and women.
The Billie Jean King Cup is the biggest annual international team competition in women’s tennis. Nigeria's promotion is a big step for the country as their tennis program continues to gain recognition on the international scene.
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