Ukraine’s Danylo Kalenichenko advanced to the second round of the Dayak Tennis Championships with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over India’s Suraj Prabodh on Wednesday, while Uche Oparaoji fell in his opening match.
Prabodh had broken Kalenichenko early in the first set for a 3-1 lead, but the Ukrainian broke back in the eight game to level at 4-4, and again in the tenth game to take the set. In the second set, the Indian would let a 4-2 lead slip, as Kalenichenko again came from behind to snatch the set and claim victory in an hour and 44 minutes.
Elsewhere, Nigeria’s Uche Oparaoji opened his ITF World Tennis Tour account on a disappointing note, as he lost in straight sets to India’s Kunal Anand.
Oparaoji, who was competing in his first-ever match on the ITF Tour, couldn’t get to grips with his opponents play and was handed a double bagel in under an hour at the National Tennis Centre.
On Centre Court, Frenchman, Dan Added, who reached the semifinals of the Tombim Abuja Open a week ago, dismissed Sundar Prashanth of India 6-3, 6-1 in just 57 minutes.
In the doubles event, the Nigerian pair of Tochukwu Ezeh and Uche Oparaoji went down 6-0, 6-2 to the American-Swede pair of William Bushamuka and Simon Yitbarek, while Musa Mohammed and Britain’s Mukhtar Andu lost 6-1, 6-2 to top seeds, Arjun Kadhe and Sundar Prashanth of India.
Arjun Kadhe (L) and Sundar Prashanth after their first round doubles win in Abuja.
Second seed, Benjamin Lock and John Lock came through three tight sets against Brazilian duo Gilbert Soares Junior and Pedro Sorgi to record a 7-5, 5-7, 10-6 victory and advance to the quarterfinals, while the French-American pair of Tom Jomby and Peter Kobelt defeated Jacob Gamble and Guy Orly Iradukunda 6-4, 6-2.
Tombim Open doubles champion, Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul advanced to the quarterfinals after Maxime Mora and Li-Wie Tan retired midway through the first set, with Doumbia and Reboul leading 4-3.
