Nigeria’s Sylvester Emmanuel proved that his trainings in Barcelona, Spain, have not been a waste as he defeated Takanyi Garanganga, a top 400 player, at the ongoing Davis Cup World Team Cup competition in Egypt.
Although the win was not enough to secure a promotion for the Nigerian side, it was adequate for bragging rights as the Nigerian number one player justified his ranking as Nigeria’s best player on and off circuit at the moment.
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| Sylvester Emmanuel again, proved to the world how much of a talent he is after sending the top 400 player packing in a rather bullish manner. |
Sylvester won in two straight sets of 6-3, 7-5, to stun the Zimbabwean top tennis star at the ongoing World Team Cup competition, but his partnership with Abdulmumuni Babalola could not produce the same effort as Nigeria faltered against their more experienced East African counterparts.
Nigeria still has to play against Rwanda in the last group match, but the win against the player 447 in the world will come as a great boost for Sylvester’s confidence as he continues his tour of the circuits within and outside the African continent.
The Nigerian pair lost (4)6-7, 6-4, 3-6 in a match that lasted about two hours twenty-nine minutes and was played under the floodlights.
Coach Benso Ishicheli who captained the Nigerian side will feel hard done by the results from this tournament but will take solace in the fact that the players put up a spirited display which showed how close Nigeria has come to taking over from her African counterparts.
Naija Tennis Special will bring the updates from the match against Rwanda on Friday as well as the players’ reactions after being so close, yet so far away from winning the tie.