Kano State Gov, Abba Yusuf, has approved the appointment of 57 Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and 44 social media aides who will work as reporters at the various ministries and agencies.

In a statement on Friday, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sanusi Tofa, said all appointments take effect immediately, and the appointees are directed to collect their letters of appointment from the office of Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

He said the SSAs will help execute the policies, programmes and projects of the state government, while the social media aides will provide access to information on policies, programmes and activities of the Yusuf administration.

Tofa listed the SSAs and their portfolios to include: Anas Abba Dala, Senior Special Assistant, Political Awareness; Ali Muhammad Bichi, Senior Special Assistant, Religious Affairs; Alhajiji Nagoda, Senior Special Assistant, Information; Babban Alhaji Sagagi, Senior Special Assistant, Broadcast Media II; Ibrahim Muazzam Sanata, Senior Special Assistant, Public Affairs II.

Also appointed as SSA are Ismail Murtala Zawa’i, Senior Special Assistant Media Awareness; Shamsu Aliyu Samanja, Senior Special Assistant, Publicity II; Fahad Balarabe Adaji, Senior Special Assistant, ICT Maintenance (Hardware); Abdullahi Ibrahim, Senior Special Assistant, Digital Media; Hassan Sani Tukur, Senior Special Assistant, New Media I.

Also appointed are: Hadiza Aminu, Senior Special Assistant, New Media II; Hon. Nasiru Isa Dikko,(Jarma) Senior Special Assistant, Non-governmental Organisations(NGOs); Ali Hamisu Indabawa, Senior Special Assistant I Photography; Nafi’u Dankura Adamu, Senior Special Assistant, Protocol (Abuja); Abdurrashid Muhammad Panda, Senior Special Assistant, Kwankwasiyya Media Groups.

Nasiru Hassan Yan Awaki, Senior Special Assistant, Works; Abubakar Muhammad Inuwa, Senior Special Assistant, Reformatory Schools; Ibrahim Ma’aji Sumaila, Senior Special Assistant, Students Matters; Abdullahi Ghali Basaf, Senior Special Assistant, Information II; Bashari A. Yaro, Senior Special Assistant, Local Government Affairs.

Habibu Ya’u Kwankwaso, Senior Special Assistant, KSSMB; Yusuf Abdullahi Yanoko, Senior Special Assistant, Teacher Training and Development; Saminu Balago Yakasai, Senior Special Assistant, Askarawan Kwankwasiyya; Abdussalam Muhammad Sani, Senior Special Assistant, Domestic Affairs (Deputy Governor); Bala Abubakar, Senior Special Assistant, Security (Abuja).

Ishaq Abdul, Senior Special Assistant, Online Technology; Tijjani Kaura Goje, Senior Special Assistant, Lagos Liason Office; Balarabe Isa Abdullahi, Senior Special Assistant, Kaduna Liason Office; Mansur Ali Galadanchi, Senior Special Assistant, Automobile; Mustapha Ibrahim Chigari, Senior Special Assistant, Tourism.

Sani Rabi’u Muhammad (Rio), Senior Special Assistant, Butchers and Abbatoir; Ibrahim Abdu Hanga, Senior Special Assistant Printing II; Musbahu Shado, Senior Special Assistant, Abubakar Rimi Market; Abdullahi Sabo Abubakar, Senior Special Assistant, KARMA; Zainab Ibrahim D. Senior Special Assistant, Primary Education.

Dahiru Arrow Dakata, Senior Special Assistant, Environmental Sanitation; Jamilu Yamadawa, Senior Special Assistant, Youth and Sports; Yassir Abdullahi Jobe, Senior Special Assistant II ICT; Mubarak Muhammad Usman, Senior Special Assistant III, Information; Bashir Usman Gama, Senior Special Assistant II, Mobilization.

Mahmoud Abbas Sunusi, Senior Special Assistant, Chieftaincy Affairs; Adamu Maitama, Senior Special Assistant, Entrepreneurship; Rabi Hotoro, Senior Special Assistant, Women Affairs; Arc. Ahmad Ishaq, Senior Special Assistant, Urban Beautification; Arc. Abba Garba Yaro, Senior Special Assistant, KNUPDA.

Idris Tela Dandalama, Senior Special Assistant, Grazing Areas; Isa Rabi’u Wise, Senior Special Assistant II, Markets; Sharu Na Malam Dandago, Senior Special Assistant II, Religious Affairs; Rabiu Salisu Babba Dala, Senior Special Assistant, Agriculture; Aminu Sulaiman Gaya, Senior Special Assistant, Water Resources; Hassana Abubakar, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters.

Hajiya Mariya Sani Karaye, Senior Special Assistant II, Women Mobilisation; Hajiya Sa’adatu Salisu Yusha’u, Senior Special Assistant, Women Mobilisation (Kano South); Dr. Harisu Tsanyawa, Senior Special Assistant, Primary Healthcare; Sani Isa Romi, Senior Special Assistant, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Consumables; Inuwa Salisu Sharada, (KOSSAP), Senior Special Assistant, Marshalls II; Khalil Isa Dokadawa (Amana Luxury), Senior Special Assistant II, Transportation.

The statement added that: “All appointments take effect immediately as the appointees are directed to collect their letters of appointment from the office of Secretary to the Kano State Government(SSG).”

The 44 social media activists and the ministries the Kano governor has deployed to them are as follows: Abba Zizu, Senior Special Reporter, Agriculture; Isma’il Alkassim, Special Reporter, Agriculture; Musa Garba (Jikan Oga), Senior Special Reporter, Budget and Planning; Bilal Musa Bakin Ruwa, Special Reporter, Budget and Planning; Auwal Dan-Ayagi, Senior Special Reporter, Commerce and Industry; Usman Abubakar Haske, Special Reporter, Commerce and Industry.

Auwalu Yau Yusuf, Senior Special Reporter, Culture and Tourism; Kamal I.G Kawaji, Special Reporter, Culture and Tourism; Comrd Hayatu Tanimu, Senior Special Reporter, Education; Usman Ibrahim, Special Reporter, Education; Mahmud Ali Yakasai, Senior Special Reporter, Environment; Rahma Abdullahi, Special Reporter, Environment

Sani Umar, Senior Special Reporter, Finance; Abdulrahman Gama, Special Reporter, Finance; Aliyu Kwankwason Dorayi, Senior Special Reporter , Health; Zainab Muhammad, Special Reporter, Health; Nuhu Dambazau, Senior Special Reporter, Higher Education; Zainab Musa Aujara, Special Reporter, Higher Education; Yakubu Umar, Senior Special Reporter, Information; Ibrahim Yusha’u, Special Reporter, Information.

Amir Abdullahi Kima, Senior Special Reporter, Justice; Mahmud Mahmud Dala, Special Reporter, Justice; Mustapha R. Mahmud, Senior Special Reporter, Land and Physical Planning; Nanu Kankarofi, Special Reporter, Land and Physical Planning; Khatimu Kul-Kul, Senior Special Reporter, Local Government; Aisha Auwal, Special Reporter, Local Government; Kamal Yakasai, Senior Special Reporter, Project Monitoring

Ibrahim M. Alliya, Special Reporter, Project Monitoring; Sunusi Ma’azu, Senior Special Reporter, Religious Affairs; Bashir Aliyu, Special Reporter, Religious Affairs; Shafa’atu Ahmad (Londonbe), Senior Special Reporter, Rural Development; Kabiru Nadabo Mai Rice, Special Reporter, Rural Development; Jameelat Meemi Koki, Senior Special Reporter, Special Duties; Muhammad Wasilu Kawo, Special Reporter, Special Duties

Nasiru Kassim Fulatan, Senior Special Reporter, Science and Technology; Kamila Muhammad Siba, Special Reporter, Science and Technology; Ibrahim Rabi’u, Senior Special Reporter, Transportation; Yasir Ibrahim (Monday), Special Reporter, Transportation; Auwalu Sani Rogo, Senior Special Reporter, Water Resources.

Abu Sufyan Doguwa, Special Reporter, Water Resources; Fauziyya Isyaku, Senior Special Reporter, Women Affairs; Nabeel Sunusi, Special Reporter, Women Affairs; Gambo Galadanci, Senior Special Reporter, Works and Housing; Khamis B. Ayagi, Special Reporter, Works and Housing.

City FM is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Programme: CITY TALKS WITH REUBEN ABATI

Time: 12:00pm

Guest: Amb. Olusegun Akinsanya. (MNI)
Former Nigerian Ambassador to Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Topic: Niger-Gabon and the future of democracy in Africa

Date: 2nd September, 2023
                         
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92877141732?pwd=VEJWb29OL2VVekZUTHRpdWYxK0xxZz09

Meeting ID: 928 7714 1732
Passcode: 600206

Just as the Economic Community of West African States is about to send a military task force to Niger in a bid to uproot coup leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani and his cronies and return the country back to its elected ruler, another coup d’état erupts in Gabon. This brings to eight the number of coups in Africa in the past three years.

This throws the spanner in the works and will force the ECOWAS military command to re-think its strategy: you can’t fight two countries at once.

African leaders haven’t changed over the years: they are still inefficient, corrupt and couldn’t less about the countries they are sworn to guide and protect, may practice nepotism, whilst ruling in the most non-democratic way known to man. 

Since Africa has embraced ‘democracy’ (- our ‘democracy’ is different to the Democracy they practice in the West!) the only way the average poor person on the street can effect a change in government is to cast their vote in the next elections, when ever that might be. But when their votes are compromised (- stolen, bought or not-registered-as-being-cast) they are stuck with a leader who may not have their best interests at heart. Rigging an election, to win, anywhere, in Africa is probably the easiest thing to do if you have the means and power.

So, what can you do?

Nothing! With all the loopholes ‘democracy’ affords, a politician can remain in power, getting up to all sorts, indefinitely, with the electorate powerless to stop them or remove them from office.

This is where the military coup plotters come in: they see the suffering of the people and the corruption of government and decide to step in. In doing so they break their oath of allegiance to the ruling civilian President and if it goes wrong they become guilty of committing treason and face severe consequences.

This is the 21st century and I, along with many others, believe coups are something that have been consigned to the past: never again should a soldier, with a gun, be allowed to seize power and rule by force. We elect our leaders now.

But this is a grey area: if a soldier overthrows a corrupt ‘democratically-elected’ government and installs an interim government, is this right or wrong?

It’ll be ‘Right’ if the junta quickly establishes an interim government with a view of returning back power to a Democratically-elected government with in an agreed time frame. On the other hand, it becomes ‘Wrong’ if the junta decides to stay on indefinitely.

And this is why I call it a grey area: should we endorse coup-plotters who sack corrupt governments or not? Mugabe, of late of Zimbabwe, was removed from power, by the military, when he became too old and erratic to run the country. They subsequently handed over to a civilian government as soon as the change was made.

Now back to the proposed ECOWAS military intervention in Niger. Military planners will now have to go back to the drawing board to plan the nearly-simultaneous invasion of two sovereign nations (- Niger and Gabon), you can’t invade one country without the other! Since the powers that be have shot their mouths off threatening to invade Niger they’ll have to do the same to Gabon. Considering the fact that they  have the personnel, equipment and resources (- which they don’t) it’ll be a logistical and planning nightmare : something even Russia or America would never consider. How do you fight two wars against two separate countries at the same time?

Isn’t it time to listen to the voice of people for once? The people of Niger and Gabon seem to be happy to have been liberated from their tyrannical elected leaders, welcoming the change and dancing in the street.Perhaps ECOWAS, and the rest of the international community, should adopt-a-wait-and-see attitude before going all gung-ho, guns blazing on a military expedition that will mostly end in disaster. ECOMOG, the military intervention wing of ECOWAS, has not really had a successful run in its 30-year existence: its intervention has not prevented civil wars and its participation, sometimes, has always been questionable.

A round table discussion between coup leaders and international observers will present to the world their intentions and how they plan to restore the peoples mandate of free and fair elections to elect leaders who are not above the law.

If we are going to practice democracy the African way there should be provision to remove inept and corrupt leaders the African way.

So, there is no need to wage needless wars.

Novak Djokovic fought back from two sets down to overcome compatriot Laslo Djere and reach the fourth round of the US Open during a late-night spectacular on Friday.

The two Serbian foes went toe-to-toe at the Arthur Ashe Stadium for three hours and 45 minutes, and Djokovic eventually completed a terrific turnaround to prevail 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3.

Djere got off to a dream start against the 23-time Grand Slam winner with a break in the opening game of the match, and an off-colour Djokovic had no answer after losing his serve in the seventh game of the second set.

However, following a "pep talk" in the mirror, Djokovic came out a different beast in the third set, winning five games on the bounce via a double break before Djere also lost his serve in the first game of the fourth set.

The 32nd seed did immediately break back, but his late efforts were fruitless against a fired-up Djokovic, who strung together a magnificent eight-game winning streak before Djere restored some parity with a hold to love

By that point, however, Djokovic was already a break up in the decider, and a 58th unforced error of the night from Djere on match point saw Djokovic progress to the fourth round, where he meets Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo.

Djokovic's triumph marked the eighth time in his career that he has recovered from a two-set deficit to win a top-level match, but Iga Swiatek's route to the last 16 was much more straightforward.

The defending women's champion is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year and made light work of her meeting with Slovenian qualifier Kaja Juvan, winning 6-0 6-1 in just 49 minutes.

Registering a second bagel in three matches, Swiatek won each of the first nine games before Juvan belatedly got on the board, which would be nothing more than a minor consolation for the world number 145, who hit a paltry two winners compared to Swiatek's 21.

Swiatek can now look ahead to a meeting with former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko, who came back from a set down to beat the USA's Bernarda Pera 4-6 6-3 6-3, while Caroline Wozniacki's fairytale homecoming continued with a 4-6 6-3 6-1 win over Jennifer Brady.

Wozniacki's reward is a glamour tie with sixth seed Coco Gauff, who recovered from a slow start to dump Elise Mertens out 3-6 6-3 6-0, but Elena Rybakina's run came to a premature end.

The former Wimbledon winner was made to pay for 56 unforced errors in a 3-6 7-6[6] 4-6 loss to Sorana Cirstea, who will meet 15th seed Belinda Bencic in her first-ever US Open fourth-round match.

Elsewhere, 10th seed Karolina Muchova saw off Taylor Townsend 7-6[0] 6-3 to set up a clash with Wang Xinyu, who posted a 4-6 6-3 6-2 victory over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to reach a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time in her career.

Home favourites Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul also prolonged their runs on home soil, beating Jakub Mensik, Adrian Mannarino, Aslan Karatsev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina respectively.

[Sportsmole]

David Ferrer admitted that he yearns to see Nadal pairing up with two-time major winner Alcaraz in Davis Cup Finals if Spain manage to reach that stage.

When Rafael Nadal had made the emotional statement on 2024 likely to be his final year on tour, moments after he withdrew from the French Open earlier this May, the Spaniard had shared a few of his plans and desires. The 37-year-old, who a month later underwent a hip surgery owing to an injury that kept him on the sidelines since his early Australian Open exit in January, had set his return date as November this year following which Carlos Alcaraz made a blockbuster offer to the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

 

On Saturday, less than three months from Nadal's desired date of return, compatriot and former tennis player, David Ferrer, who is also the captain of the Span Davis Cup team, addressed the topic while also teasing Alcaraz's offer.

Speaking to Marca, Ferrer said: "I don't see far away" and hence doesn't rule out the possibility of Nadal's return. "I wish he could be with us,” said the former tennis player from Jávea, “I don't see it as a utopia.”

Ferrer also admitted that he yearns to see Nadal pairing up with two-time major winner Alcaraz in Davis Cup Finals if Spain manage to reach that stage.

"I can't say much more, but I hope he can be with us in November, now he has taken a vacation and is doing his things," he said. "My dream is to join Rafa and Carlos in the Davis Cup team."

Following a sensational win in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz, in conversation with El Partidazo de Cope, had revealed that he is dreams to play doubles with Nadal in Olympics where the tennis events will be held at Roland Garros, where the legend has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams.

"It would be a dream to live the experience of playing doubles with your idol," Alcaraz had said. "Let's see how he's doing and how he's going, you know, in this year. Hopefully, he's going great but for me, it could be a dream to play doubles with him."

Alcaraz has never before teamed up with Nadal for any tennis event in his career, although the two have faced each other on the ATP tour with the latter winning two of the three matches before the 20-year-old stunned him at 2022 Madrid Open quarters. The two also share a great bond with Alcaraz revealing last month how a message from Nadal moments before Wimbledon final inspired him to beat Djokovic in the five-set thriller.

[hindustantimes]

For many clubs in Europe, the summer transfer deadline has passed and their business will now be finished until they have a chance to shuffle their ranks in January.

Chelsea will most likely mark the past few months as a success in their books, landing top target Moises Caicedo after months of working to get a deal done. There may be questions over the £115million price tag and uncertainty over Liverpool's push, but at the end of the window, he's wearing blue.

Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Cole Palmer and Robert Sanchez are just a few of the new faces who made their way in during a busy period that saw a huge influx of youth prospects. The club also managed to move off most of their outcast stars that no longer had a future there.

It means that Mauricio Pochettino can finally get down to work without the distractions of new players that he will need to integrate into his style of play. That's not to say that all their business may stop there though as, in terms of a couple more outgoings, there are still other markets open that could look to land a couple players.

There's also likely to be another shuffle in the free transfer market, with players that were unable to find clubs becoming an attractive proposition as they're free to join outside of a transfer window. It's rare that a top-end club like Chelsea will land a star at this stage, but there's one out there that could cap a dream summer.

In this case, it's club legend Eden Hazard, who became a free agent earlier this summer after ending his ties with Real Madrid. The Belgian international struggled to fit in at Los Blancos as injury concerns piled up until he was no longer seen as a key part of the project.

Hazard enjoyed some of the best years of his career in blue, spending seven-years at the club and racking up six trophies in that time. While things have no doubt changed since he left for the big-money move, the 32-year-old could still play an invaluable role within the team now.

Hazard has Premier League experience and could play a huge role in helping nurture some of the young talent currently with the Blues. A lot of the goal scoring burden currently lies on Raheem Sterling, but with Hazard as a rotational option, that pressure may be lifted while he isn't under the same injury strain of playing every week.

There's an obvious sentimental aspect to it, Hazard may not earn the same wage at Stamford Bridge as he could elsewhere and he may not have that same importance in the squad with his role. However, in this instance, it's a deal that just makes sense for where the club are, have been and want to be.

[football.london]

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After Real Madrid learned their group stage opponents for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League earlier this week, the record European champions have now learned their fixture schedule for the same.

Real Madrid have been drawn in Group C of the Champions League, along with Serie A champions Napoli, German surprise package Union Berlin, and Portuguese outfit SC Braga.

Now, the official fixture list has been made available by UEFA, which reveals when and where Real Madrid will be playing their matches in the group stage.

Real Madrid’s UCL group stage fixture schedule

The 14-time European champions are set to kick off their Champions League campaign at home on September 20 against Union Berlin.

Following that Los Blancos will be on the road as they face Napoli on October 3 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Matchday three will have Carlo Ancelotti & co. travelling to the scenic Braga Municipal Stadium to take on SC Braga on October 24, before they return to the comforts of the Santiago Bernabeu for the reverse fixture on November 8.

Real Madrid’s final home game of the group stage will come against Napoli on November 29 before they wind up the first phase of the competition away at Union Berlin on December 12.

• September 20: Real Madrid vs Union Berlin
• October 3: Napoli vs Real Madrid
• October 24: SC Braga vs Real Madrid
• November 8: Real Madrid vs SC Braga
• November 29: Real Madrid vs Napoli
• December 12: Union Berlin vs Real Madrid

Having faltered at the semi-final stage last season, Ancelotti & co. will be eager to go all the way this time around and the Road to London kicks off in less than three weeks.

[madriduniversal]

Coco Gauff joked that the thought of losing in front of Justin Bieber inspired her US Open comeback against Elise Mertens on Friday night.

Gauff produced a fine fightback to reach the US Open fourth round and keep alive her hopes of winning a first Grand Slam title. 

The 19-year-old dropped the first set but dug deep to turn the match around, winning 3-6 6-3 6-0 in front of a crowd that included pop star Bieber, his wife Hailey and NBA star Jimmy Butler.

After the match, Gauff said she was aware of the A-listers cheering her on. In fact, she said their presence drove her to win the last 10 games.

'I definitely saw who was there,' Gauff told ESPN. 'I was like: "Oh my goodness, Justin Bieber!" At that point it was 2-3 in the second set. I thought: "I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber". I didn’t lose a game after I saw that!'

 

Coco Gauff's US Open opponent Laura Siegemund is reduced to tears

Djokovic survives a scare as he beats Djere in US Open third round

'I got a little tight when I first saw him, then I reminded myself that President Obama and Michelle Obama were at my first round match... I'm fan-girling right now.'

The Obamas watched her comeback against Laura Siegemund on opening night. She had to battle back in round one, too, and after reaching the last 16, Gauff admitted she was 'starstuck' by Bieber.

'"Never Say Never" was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid. And then "Baby, Oh Baby"... I could go through all his songs,' she said. 

'And then Hailey coming too - I guess it was a little date night for them which is really cool.'

 

Gauff came back after dropping the first set to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the third-round match

She added: 'Jimmy Butler has come to a couple of my matches so I wasn’t as surprised that he was there. But I’m still like: "This guy is busy. Why is he coming to watch me play?!" But it's a really cool experience.”

The 19-year-old also paid tribute to the crowd in New York. 'The energy today definitely helped me. I felt you guys,' said Gauff. 'I played every point my hardest.'

'When you lose the first set you know you have to show that you left all that energy in the first set and you're ready to play... after I lost the first set I told myself: there is still a lot of game left and a lot of the match to play.'

'Elise was playing well and I tried my best to win in three sets - give me some credit. The last couple of weeks I was winning in straight sets. So a win is a win - it doesn't matter how you get it and I'm just happy.'

[Dailymail]

Novak Djokovic came back from two sets down to survive a big scare from Laslo Djere as he reached the second week at the US Open.

The three-time champion lost the opening two sets but ultimately prevailed 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3 against his compatriot in three hours and 48 minutes.

It means that Djokovic is into the second week of the US Open for a 15th consecutive time as the Serb will look to play better as the tournament goes on.

Speaking after the match Djokovic praised Djere but admitted he has to be playing better than he did, “I thought he played terrific. I mean, I honestly have never seen him play like this,” Djokovic told journalists after the match.

“He was feeling the ball extremely well. Everything was kind of in his striking zone. He was tactically prepared very well. I think he started off the match very, very good. He was far more comfortable than me. I was defending mostly in the first two sets.

“To be honest, I could have and should have played better, on a high level in these two sets, but huge credit to him for making me uncomfortable on the court and playing really some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play.

“Congrats to him. Tough luck to him. I told him at the net he should keep going because if he’s going to continue playing this way, he’s only going to work his way up in the rankings. He’s a terrific guy, works extremely hard.
Tonight he shows that he deserves to be ranked much higher than he is.”

A real test for Djokovic that shows he will need to raise his level as the tournament goes on ahead of a potential showdown in the final with Carlos Alcaraz.

Speaking of the rest of the field, Djokovic believes his five set thriller sends a message that he is able to go the full distance ahead of a intriguing second week, “Well, look, of course winning a match is always better than losing a match. It’s as simple as that,” Djokovic stated.

“I think the message is sent to the rest of the field that obviously I’m still able to play five sets deep at night. Coming from two sets down always sends a strong message to the future opponents.

“At the same time I’m not really wanting to be in this position, to be honest. I prefer a straight-set win. Hopefully I can get back on that track in the next match.”

Next for Djokovic will be talented Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo, who defeated Jiri Vesely in straight sets.

Sunday’s meeting will be the first meeting between the two players.

[ubitennis]