Quarterfinal action at the GSL Open serves off at the National Tennis Centre on Friday, with top seed, Sadio Doumbia, & 3rd seed, Tom Jomby among those looking to secure semi-final spots in Abuja.
Sadio Doumbia [1] vs Simon Yitbarek
Top seed, Sadio Doumbia and Swedish teenager, Simon Yitbarek will square off in a repeat of their quarter-final encounter at the Tombim Open two weeks ago.
Doumbia took down the 18-year-old 7-6, 6-3 there en route to the title and will be looking to do the same on Friday. The Frenchman, who’s ranked 377 in the world, has bounced back from a dismal first round showing at the Dayak Championships to move into the quarterfinals of the GSL Open this week, beating Kunal Anand of India and Namibia’s Tuki Jacobs.
Doumbia in action.
Yitbarek, meanwhile, is making a quarter-final appearance for only the second time this season, and will be aiming to reach his first career semifinal. His progress so far this week has been a mixture of his good play and luck. Both opponents he played against in the first and second rounds, retired due to injury. In the first round he led Joseph Imeh 7-5, 1-0 before the Nigerian called it quits, while in the second against Jack Draper, he was 5-4 up before Brit retired. He will face his biggest challenge yet, though, against Doumbia, and will need to be at his very best to subdue the 28-year-old Frenchman, who’s targeting a 7th ITF World Tour title.
Simon Yitbarek is looking to reach his first semi-final on the ITF World Tour.
Tom Jomby [3] vs Danylo Kalenichenko [8]
Both men are meeting for the second time within a week. At the Dayak Championships on Sunday, the Frenchman defeated Kalenichenko in straight sets to lift the title and will be hoping to take the Ukrainian down again.
Jomby has not dropped a set in seven consecutive matches, a stunning run that began at the Dayak Championships. This week, he’s rolled past Suraj Prabodh of India and America’s Michael Zhu to reach the quarterfinals. Riding a wave of confidence in Abuja, can Jomby keep up his terrific form, beat Kalenichenko again, and move into the semifinals?
Tom Jomby has won 14 consecutive sets so far in Abuja.
Eight seed, Kalenichenko has done well to keep his matches tidy, having lost just a set this week. The Ukrainian thrashed Sundar Prashanth 6-1, 6-0 in the opening round and outlasted Michail Pervolarakis in three sets to reach the last eight. The 25-year-old will be looking to make back-to-back finals and then go one better to secure a third title on the ITF World Tour. He, however, must beat the man who denied him that first.
Danylo Kalenichenko
In other matches, 6th seed, Pedro Sorgi of Brazil will go up against Frenchman, Dan Added, who’s seeking to make his third straight semi-final appearance in Abuja. Sorgi, having finished as a quarterfinalist last week, will be hoping to go one better this week.
Sorgi in action.
7th seed, Niels Lootsma of the Netherlands will confront Brazil’s Gilbert Soares Junior in the other quarterfinal match. Both men haven’t dropped a set so far and will both be hoping to keep things that way when they clash. It will be interesting to see who gives way.
Friday’s Order of Play
Centre Court
Starting at 10:00
Tom Jomby (FRA) [3] vs. Danylo Kalenichenko (UKR) [8]
Followed By
Joao Pedro Sorgi (BRA) [6] vs. Dan Added (FRA)
After Rest, Not Before 13:00
Arjun Kadhe (IND) / Sundar Prashanth (IND) [1] vs. Danylo Kalenichenko (UKR) / Niels Lootsma (NED) [4]
Court 1
Starting at 10:00
Niels Lootsma (NED) [7] vs. Gilbert Soares Klier Junior (BRA)
Followed By
Sadio Doumbia (FRA) [1] vs. Simon Yitbarek (SWE)
After Rest, Not Before 14:00
Dan Added (FRA) / Michail Pervolarakis (GRE) [3] vs. Sadio Doumbia (FRA) / Fabien Reboul (FRA) [2]
