Nigeria’s No. 1, Daniel Adeleye, came from a set down to win his opening qualifying match at the ongoing ATP Challenger 50 event in Ivory Coast on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
- +Adeleye advances at ATP Challenger 50
The 19-year-old defeated France’s Elijah Sanogo 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Court 1 at Cofina Neemba in Abidjan to advance to the second round of the qualifiers.
The 19-year-old defeated France’s Elijah Sanogo 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Court 1 at Cofina Neemba in Abidjan to advance to the second round of the qualifiers.
Adeleye will next face Algeria’s Hamza Reguig, who is ranked 849, in Monday’s (today’s) match.
Since helping Nigeria advance at the Davis Cup World Group II play-offs in February, Adeleye has remained active on tour.
He was instrumental at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, where he led Nigeria to a memorable 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in the Davis Cup World Group II play-offs. Adeleye sealed two crucial singles wins in the tie.
The two-day encounter was level at 1-1 after the opening matches. Nigeria then took control on Day 2 with a vital win in the doubles rubber.
After Canice Abua lost 6-3, 6-4 to Khumoyun Sultanov in the opening match, Adeleye restored parity with a composed 6-2, 6-4 victory over Abdulaziz Usmonjonov.
He later sealed the tie with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Ilya Ignatov, after the duo of Abua and Michael Emmanuel had given Nigeria a 2-1 lead with a hard-fought doubles victory over Denis Istomin and Sultanov.
The result secured Nigeria’s place in the Davis Cup World Group II, where they will face Morocco from September 18 to 20, 2026. However, Adeleye may be unavailable for that tie due to his tour commitments.
The ATP Challenger 50 is part of the secondary professional circuit organised by the ATP. The 2026 ATP Challenger Tour calendar features 158 tournaments, with prize money ranging from $63,000 to $300,000.
