Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Sports

Lagos ready for Nigeria vs Uzbekistan Davis Cup

Published

on

Nigeria have intensified preparations for their Davis Cup World Group II tie against Uzbekistan by moving their training base to the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, the venue for the February 7 to 8 encounter.

The move from the National Stadium, Surulere, is part of final match readiness as the players familiarise themselves with the courts and surroundings ahead of the two day contest.

Uzbekistan, which arrived in Lagos on sunday have also settled in and held their first training session on Monday. The visitors travelled with three players and four officials, with their leading player, Khumoyun Sultanov, joining the squad after his recent title win at the ITF M15 tournament in Kuwait.

  • Rybakina Returns to World No. 3 in WTA RankingsRybakina Returns to World No. 3 in WTA Rankings

Advertisement

Sultanov, 27, reached the second round of the Australian Open qualifiers in 2025 and achieved a career high ATP ranking of 216 in January. He is joined by Ilya Ignatov, Abdulaziz Usmonjonov, and 17 year old Sukrob Saidov.

Nigeria will be led by national number one Daniel Adeleye, alongside Canice Abua and Michael Emmanuel, all selected based on national rankings. Uche Oparaoji returns to the squad, while Abubakar Yusuf is set to make his Davis Cup debut after representing Nigeria at the Africa Games in Ghana.

Despite Nigeria being ranked 74 in the world and Uzbekistan 49, confidence remains within the Nigerian camp. According to the Nigeria Tennis Federation, hosting the tie reflects the country’s progress in international tennis.

Advertisement

Federation president Victor Ochei said the opportunity to host was a result of recent performances.

“Nigeria has been consistent at this level and that consistency has earned us trust,” Ochei said. “Hosting this tie shows that we can compete and also deliver at international standard.”

He confirmed that the National Sports Commission is supporting the federation in funding and event delivery.

A 15 member Central Planning Committee, chaired by Victor Hembah, has been set up to oversee preparations in collaboration with the International Tennis Federation, the National Sports Commission, Lagos State Government, security agencies, and the host club.

Advertisement

President of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Dr Adeyinka Adewusi, said the venue is ready for the tie.

“The courts and facilities are prepared, and we are ready to host,” Adewusi said. “This is an important event for Nigerian tennis.”

The match will take place on the centre court of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club this weekend.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Breanna Stewart’s Wife Marta Xargay Reacts Proudly as WNBA’s New CBA Deal Saves 2026 Season After Bitter Standoff

Published

on

Breanna Stewart‘s wife, Marta Xargay, had a proud reaction to the WNBA’s new CBA deal. On Wednesday, Xargay shared a picture of herself and the Liberty star on her Instagram story.

In the picture, the couple was in their bed. Xargay covered her face with her hand while Stewart stared into the camera with a wide grin. She praised Stewart in the story’s caption.

“She freaking did it! I’m so proud of her❤️” Xargay wrote.

Marta Xargay praises Breanna Stewart on her IG story.Marta Xargay praises Breanna Stewart on her IG story.
Marta Xargay praises Breanna Stewart on her IG story.

The WNBA and the WNBPA were in a stalemate for more than three months. The former CBA was set to expire in October 2025, but the league kept extending the deadline as it had not reached an agreement with the players’ association.

Advertisement

The WNBPA, led by Nneka Ogwumike as the President and Breanna Stewart as the Vice President, found common ground with the league on Wednesday. The new CBA is a major upgrade for the players from the previous one.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the new salary cap for the players starts at $7 million, which went up from $1.5 million. The league will also share about 20% of revenue with the players. A supermax contract will now start at $1.4 million, while the average salary went up to $600,000.

The league will also add two new teams this season, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. The 2026 WNBA season will begin on May 8.

Breanna Stewart shares her thoughts on the new CBA: “Transformational”

Breanna Stewart shared her thoughts on the new CBA while talking to the press after exiting the negotiations on Wednesday. She called the new agreement between the league and the players a transformational move.

Advertisement

“This deal is going to be transformational,” she said. “It’s going to build and help create a system where everybody is getting exactly what they deserve and more, from on the court and off the court aspects. Just excited that we can tell our fans that we’re going to be back.”

Breanna Stewart is coming off an incredible run with the Mist BC in Unrivaled. The New York Liberty star led the Mist BC to their first Unrivaled championship in the 3×3 league in early March.

She had a good run with the Liberty in the W last season. She averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, helping them finish in fifth place in the standings. However, the Liberty lost (1-2) to the Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the playoffs.