First round action at the Tombim Abuja Open will continue on Wednesday at the National Tennis Centre, with the home players seeking to make progress and the top seeds out to justify their rankings and a make a good case for their title bids.

Here are some of the matches to look forward to on a bumper day of tennis action.

Joseph Imeh vs Danylo Kalenichenko

The first match on Centre Court on Day 3 pits Nigeria’s Joseph Imeh against Ukraine’s Danylo Kalenichenko, a semifinalist in 2018. Kalenichenko clearly enjoys coming to Nigeria as he made the semi-finals in both legs of the Lagos Open last season.

The 25-year-old comes into the tournament in decent form, having made quarterfinal at ITF meets in Norway and France last month, while he reached the final at an M25 event in Great Britain in February.

It’s a big task for Imeh, who has never been past the first round in Abuja, but the Nigerian possesses the skill and the character to worry his higher-ranked opponent. Buoyed by the home crowd, can he pull off the big upset and move into the second round?

Sylvester Emmanuel vs Oleg Khotkov

The second match of the day on Centre Court will see Nigeria’s Sylvester Emmanuel and Oleg Khotkov of Ukraine, both qualifiers, do battle for a place in the second round.

While Khotkov received a double bye into the main draw, Emmanuel came in on the back of a comfortable win over Tochukwu Ezeh in the final round of qualifying, and should be in high spirits as he looks to build on his encouraging performances at the national tournaments last season. Emmanuel will like his chances against Khotkov, who has won just the one ITF main draw match this season. Can he score a very popular victory at the National Tennis Centre?

Maximilian Neuchrist [1] vs Peter Kobelt

Top seed, Maximilian Neuchrist returns to competitive action after a 7-month injury-layoff, and will open up against America’s Peter Kobelt on Court 1.

It’s a first time meeting between both men, and Neuchrist, who finished as a quarterfinalist last year, will be seeking to brush off any rust and get off to a winning start. But Kobelt is no easy opponent. The 28-year-old American has won 4 titles on the ITF World Tour, with two of those coming last year. He’s also fresh off a run to the quarterfinals of an M15 tournament in Tel Aviv, Israel, and will be aiming to build on that. This should turn out to be an interesting contest.

Other notable matches on the day:

Nigeria’s Musa Mohammed faces Maxime Mora of France, while 4th seed, Tom Jomby, takes on USA’s William Bushamuka.

On Court 5, third seed, Arjun Kadhe of India, will be looking for a safe passage into the second round, when he squares off against Spain’s Hugo Largo.

Wednesday’s Full Order of Play

Centre Court

Starting at 10:00
Danylo Kalenichenko (UKR) vs. Joseph Imeh (NGR)

Followed By
Sylvester Emmanuel (NGR) vs. Oleg Khotkov (UKR)

Not Before 13:00
Niels Lootsma (NED) [8] vs. Simon Yitbarek (SWE)

Not Before 14:30
Sylvester Emmanuel (NGR) / Joseph Imeh (NGR) vs. Dan Added (FRA) / Michail Pervolarakis (GRE) [4]

Court 1

Starting at 10:00
Maximilian Neuchrist (AUT) [1] vs. Peter Kobelt (USA)

Followed By
Maxime Mora (FRA) vs. Musa Mohammed (NGR)

Not Before 13:00
Gilbert Junior (BRA) / Joao Sorgi (BRA) vs. Tom Jomby (FRA) / Peter Kobelt (USA)

Not Before 14:30
Kunal Anand (IND) / Suraj Prabodh (IND) vs. Benjamin Lock (ZIM) / Courtney Lock (ZIM) [2]

Court 5