Daniel Adeleye is starting the 2026 tennis season as Nigeria’s number one male tennis player, Nigeria Tennis Live has gathered.
This is despite his loss at the quarterfinals of the recently held Dr. Joseph Ikyaator Tennis Open, where he was defeated by Musa Mohammed.
According to the rankings obtained by Nigeria Tennis Live, the tournament in Benue did not have ranking points, and therefore, did not have any effect on the standings of the players prior to the event.
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Saidu Musa, head of the NTF’s technical department, informed our correspondent that although there were plans to make the tournament a ranking event, the notification came too soon to effect the ranking.
Thus, Adeleye retained his spot as Nigeria’s number one player, followed closely by Canice Abua, winner of the Ikyaator event as well as the Dala Hard Court tennis championship which he has won for a second consecutive year.
The top three male tennis players are coincidentally Nigeria’s Davis Cup players who will be looking to make a name for themselves when Nigeria takes on Uzbekistan in the World Group II Playoffs sometime in February, 2026.
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Khadijat Mohammed continued her lead in the Women’s Singles as she continues leading the pack in the Women’s events.
Having won four titles in 2025, the teenage tennis sensation is heading into the new year as the undisputed queen of Nigerian tennis for the second consecutive year.
She is followed by the irrepressible Bright Emmanuel who keeps showing that she is one of the players Nigerians need to keep an eye on in the coming years.
Click here to view the full rankings on our website.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep all our readers updated on the latest rankings ahead of the forthcoming national tournament in Lagos.