Nigeria’s Lucky Danjuma stunned Davis Cup player, Francky Hoimian from Cote D’Ivoire in the semis of the J60 Accra event to reach his first ever Junior ITF final.
The Abuja-based youngster who had to play in the Main Draw through the qualifying rounds, has been outstanding all week, but his defeat of Hoimian sums up how terrific he has been all week.
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Danjuma reached his first ever J60 quarterfinal when he crushed Mawuko Francois-Xavier Gakpo, a Togolese player, in two straight sets; he played the game of his life against India’s Tanussh Ghildyal to set up a semifinal clash against the Davis Cup player.
On paper, the 17-year-old Nigerian would have been condemned to lose the tie against the tough playing Ivorian who is the tournament’s number one seed.
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However, he stepped up his game where it mattered most to take Hoimian apart in two straight sets, ending the game with a 6-4, 7-5 win in Accra to a loud applause by spectators who were greatly entertained.
Danjuma will now play against Daniel Adeleye, his Nigerian counterpart, in what is already confirmed as a second consecutive win for Nigerian players at the Junior ITF event in Ghana.
Adeleye had to scrape a final set win off Franklin Jimoh when the pair played their semifinal match earlier today. The match ended 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Nigeria Tennis Live will be monitoring the matchup between the Nigerian duo scheduled for Saturday, 28 September, 2024, and report the outcome to our teeming audience.