By Ijeoma Okigbo
Nigeria’s Sylvester Emmanuel teamed up with France’s Calvin Hemery to beat the Indian duo of Bava Haadin and Bendre Anvit 7-6(5), 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Dayak Tennis Championship.
Emmanuel and Hemery will now face Bega Alessandro of Italy and Viktor Durasovic of Norway in the doubles final on Friday.
The Europeans had thrashed Zimbabwe’s Mark Fynn and Takanyi Garanganga 6-0, 6-3 in the second semi-final game.
Emmanuel, who spoke after their semi-final match, said he would give the game his all.
“I am happy to have reached the final. It has not been easy but I will give the game my all.
“I have played against Alessandro last week in the Tombim Abuja Open. He knocked me out because he is a good player.
“But, we will see how the game goes this time. I am optimistic of victory, ” he said.
Hemery, the tournament’s number one seed, has qualified for the singles event’s semi-finals, after beating Indian Mukund Kumar 6-2, 6-3.
Emmanuel was however knocked out by Canada’s Brayden Schnur 3-6, 4-6 in the second round on Wednesday.
The event is an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament where players can garner Association of Tennis Professional (ATP) points.
The event featuring over 50 players with 25, 000 dollars up for grabs began on Sunday and will end on Saturday.
