Nigeria will be playing the Davis Cup Africa Group III Qualifier in Zimbabwe with four players, three of who are based in the country and one who is based in the United States of America.
Daniel Adeleye, Nigeria’s number one male tennis player, will be playing the competition alongside Canice Abua, Emmanuel Michael and US-based Christopher Bulus.
The Nigeria-based players traveled together to Harare, Zimbabwe, for the weeklong event which started on Tuesday, 12 August, 2025, inside the Harare Sports Club.
Bulus, meanwhile, joined the Nigerian team in Zimbabwe from his base in the United States as the players teamed up for what is expected to be a tough battle for qualification for World Group II Playoffs.
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In July 2024, the quintet of Christopher Bulus, Uche Oparaoji, Wilson Igbinovia, Emmanuel Michael and Daniel Adeleye ensured that Nigeria reached the World Group II playoffs zone for the first time in nearly two decades.
However, the race for World Group II spot was cut short when Nigeria faced-off against a tough South African team in Pretoria, in February 2025. The Nigerian players are now in Zimbabwe, as the third highest ranked team, in their quest to return to where they belong.
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Nigeria Tennis Live has gathered interesting facts about the players participating in this tournament and shares them below:
The most interesting fact about the four players is that asides having prior Davis Cup experience, they have shared the past five national tournament titles among themselves.
Emmanuel Michael:
The player fondly referred to as Akpan was the breakout player for Nigeria during the 2024 Africa Group III Qualifying event in Abuja after shining like a star against Zimbabwe’s Courtney Lock in Nigeria’s first match.
He followed that up with some spectacular performances in subsequent matches, securing impressive wins for Nigeria against her opponents being cut short by injury.
Akpan pulled off one of the most incredible upsets at the just concluded CBN Open Championship in Abuja after defeating the Nigerian number one player, Daniel Adeleye, in the quarterfinals, en route to winning the title for the first time ever.
Having fully recovered from the injury that stopped him during a recent tour of Tunisia, the Nigerian player is one of the most dangerous players in the squad, especially with his fighting spirit.
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Canice Abua:
Calm-looking Canice is one of the most clinical players in Nigeria, with an all-round game that endears him to the Nigerian tennis fans, especially those in Abuja.
Like Akpan, Abua started his tennis playing career inside the Abuja Country Club, Life Camp Abuja, and since winning a Junior ITF Title, has not looked back.
The fierce-playing tennis player reached the semis twice and final once during the recently-held three weeks of highly competitive national tennis championship in Abuja, a testament to his consistency and the level he has reached.
He twice lost to Daniel Adeleye, and the only other person to have defeated him is Ikenna Prosperity Okonkwo. He is the defending champion of the Dala Hard Court championship in Kano, after reaching back-to-back finals before winning in 2024.
Nigerians have surely not seen the best of the Abua yet as he is set to star in a must-win group for Nigeria at the Davis Cup. Surely one to watch out for.
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Daniel Adeleye:
One of the most ruthless players Nigeria has seen in recent years deservedly joins the team as Nigeria’s number one male tennis player, and the most in form player on the local scene.
Of all the national tournaments he has played in 2025, he has only lost twice, once to Christopher Bulus and to Akpan, an indication of his growth and consistency over the past few months.
Adeleye has shown that he is now ready to take his spot among the elite tennis players, as he recently won back-to-back national titles (VEMP and DavNotch Opens) for the first time since he broke into the seniors.
He followed that up by claiming another difficult title in Lome, Togo ahead of the Davis Cup competition in Zimbabwe, boasting a rich form in good time for the tournament.
Nigerians, especially his folks at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, will be cheering him on from the country as he goes all out to make a name for himself in what may be his first ever Singles matchup at the Davis Cup event, having only previously played the Doubles.
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Christopher Bulus:
The fact that Bulus is on the team alone is a morale booster for the Nigerian players who are in Zimbabwe, as he has now become the team’s leader, and it is rightly so, after his exemplary leadership role in the team since linking up with them.
The US-based tennis star has been pivotal in helping Nigeria gain promotion from Africa Group IV to World Group II Playoffs, a feat which began in Rwanda, in 2023 and continued in Abuja, 1n 2024, and still extended to South Africa in 2025.
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Despite not winning his match against South Africa, to give Nigeria a lifeline in the qualification battle, Bulus was clearly the star of the tournament as the home fans all came to congratulate him on his impressive outing in Pretoria.
Ahead of the Davis Cup event in Zimbabwe, the Kaduna-born tennis sensation played two weeks of UTR tournaments in the US and reached the finals on both occasions.
Like his other colleagues, Bulus has also claimed a national title in recent months, defeating Daniel Adeleye to win the Men’s Singles title at the Rainoil National Open Tennis Championship in Lagos, his first ever national title.
Even though it is a team event, the ATP 1110 player’s influence and leadership will be pivotal in steering Nigeria to the World Group II Playoffs in 2026.
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Coach Benson Ishicheli has a lot of weapons in his hands at this year’s competition, and as one of Nigeria’s most trusted and experienced coaches, he will be looking to unleash the right one for each of our opponents.
Nigeria’s first match of the qualifying rounds will be on Wednesday, 12 August, 2025, even though the opponent had yet to be decided as at the time this report was compiled.
Nigeria Tennis Live will keep all our readers updated on the details from the competition which promises to be exciting.