True to his rating as one of the top seeds at the ongoing Dayak Open in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, Brayden Schnur, has taught the less-experienced players some tennis lessons.
The Canadian number two seed who won the first leg of the pro-circuit in Abuja, was quite a handful for Nigeria’s title hopeful, Sylvester Emmanuel, spanking the youngster in straight sets of 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-final stage of the competition.
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| Sylvester looking disappointed after his second round loss to the top Canadian player. Photo: Ewaoche Ameh. |
Spain-based Sylvester had fallen flat in the first set, but tried to live up to expectations in the second set, but he could not withstand the firepower of Brayden, who himself committed some blunders in the game.
In similar fashion, Calvin Hemery, the other ‘half Nigerian’ in the competition, spanked Christian Paul 6-2, 6-1, in a match that showed the gulf in class between both countries.
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| Hemery showed class to defeat his Nigerian brother to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the Dayak Open. Photo: Ewaoche Ameh. |
This all but confirmed claims that most Nigerian players would have fared better had they been discovered earlier or started their careers outside the country – especially in advanced countries.
As at the time of compiling this report, Sylvester and Hemery were leading 7-6(4) (first set) against de Paula Fabiano and Fernando Romboli, the number one seed in the doubles event.
