Nigeria’s Bulus, Six Other ATP Players Set For Davis Cup Battle

No fewer than seven players competing at the Davis Cup Africa Group III Qualifier event in Abuja, Nigeria, are on the ATP rankings.

The qualifying event for World Group II will see six countries competing against one another. three teams gain promotion while two others will be demoted with the last team remaining in Group III.

Namibia, Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and Zimbabwe are the countries competing for honours at the week-long event which serves off on Monday, 15 July, 2024.

READ ALSO: Davis Cup Updates Nigeria’s Team List For Africa Group III Qualifier

Nigeria Tennis Live has identified seven players from these countries who are on the ATP ranking, and will be sharing details about them below:

Benjamin Lock (Zimbabwe)
Arguably the most experienced player coming to Nigeria for the Davis Cup event, Benjamin is also the highest ranked player listed for the tournament.

The elder of the Lock brothers is not just experienced on the ATP tour, he is also very conversant with Davis Cup competitions, having propelled his country to Group II before before dropping back to compete in Group III.

His current ATP ranking of 438 puts him above and beyond all other players coming to Nigeria to seek promotion for their country during the week-long event.

With a massive fourteen-year experience that dates back to 2010, the African Games silver medalist is surely one of the players to watch out for when the players get to court from next week.

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Isaac Nortey (Ghana)
Ghana qualified for Group III of the Davis Cup event after some spectacular performances in Rwanda and the US-based Nortey played no small role in ensuring this happened.

The Ghanaian tennis star is one of the more experienced players coming from the West African country to ensure his country moves to Group II of the Davis Cup event after having struggled to take a leap from Group IV in years.

At the recent African Games event in Ghana, he was not as prolific as he would have loved to, but he has proven, over the years, that he is a very dependable player for Ghana, and he combines well with Abraham Asaba in the Doubles event.

All eyes will also be on Nortey, ranked 978 on the ATP, as he will be a key component in helping Ghana reach the World Group II for the first time in so many years.

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Connor Henry Van Schalkwyk (Namibia)
Not much has been heard about Namibia’s key man but he is definitely one of the players to keep an eye on during this tournament.

Even though he is one of the youngest players around, he is also one of the most flamboyant at this competition, and his records speak for him.

Having won a number of Grade 3 and 2 Junior ITF tournaments, he shot to the number 36 ranking in the world and the teenager, who has been a regular at the Davis Cup event since 2019.

Despite being ranked 1142 in the world, Schalkwyk who turns 20 in November, 2024, has not lost a single match on hard court at the Davis Cup event and he has been playing for five years.

If anything, this young man will bring a lot of ‘juice’ to the competition next week, and raise the roof with his heartwarming performances.

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Christopher Bulus (Nigeria)
Nigeria’s anchor player, Bulus, is the country’s only player on tour and expectedly, the only one with ATP points at the moment.

The United States-based tennis star showed, at the last Davis Cup Africa Group IV qualifier in Rwanda, that he is not one to be joked with or pushed aside at the tournament.

Although he has only played once at the Davis Cup event, Bulus has a 100% record at the tournament, playing five and winning all five matches he has competed in.

His presence in the team helped the Nigerian side push for a Group III promotion and he looks set to lead the country to an unprecedented Group II spot at this year’s tournament.

Ranked 1175 in the world, the Nigerian tennis genius is not a stranger to stiff competition and he has shown this with superlative performances, most recent of which is his African Games outing with Nigeria a few months ago.

Nigerians will be backing their star player to lead the team to a glorious outing at the tournament which has a lot of stakes at hand.

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Abraham Asaba (Ghana)
If you dwell too much on this player’s ATP points or ranking, you are most likely to miss out on the juice that flows from his intricate and extremely fascinating tennis.

The US-based tennis pro who left Ghana at the age of 16 is one of the top players Ghana is hoping on to bring them some silverware in tennis.

Asaba was all shades of beauty at the African Games in his home country a few months ago, and was rightly hailed by his countrymen who would not stop singing his praise.

While his Singles ranking of 1447 is dwarfed by his Doubles placing of 659 in the world. You cannot possibly wish away his prowess in Doubles events, he’s such a solid Doubles player.

Having once played at the Davis Cup with a 5-1 record, there a no doubts whatsoever that this flexible Ghanaian tennis star will rock the courts in Abuja when the tournament serves off.

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Courtney Lock (Zimbabwe)
The younger and more animated of the Lock brothers also sits here with a lot of experience on the ATP tour as he travels a lot with his brother, albeit, to play in the team event.

Courtney has never hidden his love for the Doubles events and has exceled in it for quite a while now, alongside his brother, Benjamin.

The pair have won tons of tournaments while partnering each other and have both proven that they have what it takes to win the Davis Cup event when it matters.

For instance, Courtney has a 0/6 record in the Singles event and while he has not won more than his losses in the Doubles, he still has a 7/8 record in the team event at the Davis Cup.

Despite his 1833 ranking in the Singles event, he is more prominent in the Doubles with a massive 339th spot. He is definitely one of the players tennis fans should keep an eye on at the Davis Cup.

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Mehluli Don Ayanda Sibanda (Zimbabwe)
Zimbabwe is blessed to have three players on the ATP rankings who are also participating at the Davis Cup event this year. This is clearly to their advantage.

Sibanda is not unfamiliar with the terrains of Davis Cup competition having played for nine years at the event. However, the participation of this player has not yielded so much resultls.

He has played only Singles matches, and has won only one of the eight ties he has played in and lost the remaining seven.

His inclusion by the Zimbabwean team is not a fluke as he has a better head-to-head record in the Singles compared to Courtney (0/6).

However, even though he is ranked 1916 in the world at this point, he reached a career high of 750 about four years ago, a clear indication of what this player can do on his day.