Dayak Open: Nigerian ‘Brothers’ At War As Sylvester Battles Canadian Top Seed

There will be fireworks at the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday, 10 May, when Nigerian players take to the courts for their matches against their opponents in the Dayak Open which is presently turning heads at the nation’s federal capital.

Christian Paul who was responsible for the scalp of fellow Nigerian, Thomas Otu, will be seeking to add tournament’s number one seed, Calvin Hemery (born to a Nigerian father, but represents France), to his list of casualties when they square up against each other today.

Calvin Hemery of Nigerian descent will be starring against Christian Paul this morning. Photo: Ewaoche Ameh

The match is one of the major highlights of Wednesday’s fixtures as both players fought really hard to advance to the second round of the competition.

In a similar fashion, Sylvester Emmanuel – one of Nigeria’s shining lights in the tournament – already has his work cut out as he faces Brayden Schnur, winner of the Tombim Abuja Open last week.

The Canadian will fancy his chances of advancing to the quarter final stage of the championship at the expense of a less-experienced Sylvester, but will also have to watch out for ‘banana peels’ as the Nigerian tennis star is not a push over.

The Dayak Open which is in its second year, will climax on Saturday, 13 May, while the DSL Open will usher in the third ITF Futures for the ‘tennis festival’.