Six years since weeping over a lost match, Manantsop Delisle, 14, is excelling at a Cameroonian tennis academy for underprivileged young players whose founder offered her free training after being impressed by her dedication to the game.
Now she wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to start a round of workouts, practice sessions, and school classes alongside nine other girls and 22 boys boarding at the Oyebog Tennis Academy in the town of Souza.She caught the eye of former national champion Joseph Oyebog when she was in tears after losing a practice match, aged just eight. He said he was drawn by her "fire" for the sport.
Since graduating from the academy, some beneficiaries have won scholarships for further training abroad, while more than 20 academy trainees have International Tennis Federation rankings. Nathalie Diffouo is grateful to the academy for her daughter Delisle's successes, which include winning a national championship in the age 13-15 category.
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