Nigeria’s number one male tennis player, Daniel Adeleye, gave team Nigeria a lifeline during the day 1 of the Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs in Lagos.
Canice Abua, the Nigerian number two player, had lost a hard fought battle against the Uzbekistan team’s number one player, Khumoyun Sultanov 3-6, 4-6 in the first rubber, and Nigeria needed a quick response in order to get them back on level terms.
Adeleye, playing the second rubber as Nigeria’s number one male tennis player, faced a formidable opponent in Abdelaziz Usmonjonov, as the Nigerian player struggled to break even against his opponent.
The reigning DavNotch Open Champion took a 2-0 lead in the opening stages of the match after a series of deuce-advantage points in the first game of the set before the Uzbekistan broke him in the third game, en route to taking a comfortable 6-4 lead against the Nigerian star player who lost about five breakpoints.
In the second set, Adeleye started cramping despite being 4-1 up and looked like he would not be able to continue the match. But he soon got over it and finished the second set with a 6-2 win, setting the tone for a frantic final set.
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The third and final set began on an interesting note, with both players breaking each other while also looking quite uncomfortable on the court. And as the game continued, it became more obvious that the player who could last longer on the court would eventually take the day.
Adeleye held serve and switched on Usmonjonov’s serve. Despite being 30-0 up, the Nigerian did not find it easy to break his opponent who took the game to 30-30 after Adeleye made unforced errors.
The Nigerian number one-ranked male tennis player, however, stood strong to take the game to 40-30, needing just one point to see the game off but he lost it, giving his opponent a lifeline in the contest.
After gaining advantage point, the Ekiti-born tennis sensation had another match point and this time, made no mistake with his drop shot which attracted Usmonjonov to the net allowing the Nigerian to lob over him and win the contest.
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The Nigerian spectators inside the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, erupted into a loud cheer as the tie was effectively taken to 1-1, leaving Uzbekistan a lot to think of ahead of the Sunday clash.
Nigeria Tennis Live will bring all our readers up to speed with happenings in Lagos as the Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs ends on Sunday, 8 February, 2026.