Tennis: Nigeria, South Africa begin Davis Cup playoff today in Pretoria

By Olaolu Joseph
After a year’s absence, Nigeria’s David Ekpenyong will play the country’s first match against South Africa in the Davis Cup World Group II Playoffs.
Nigeria will face hosts South Africa in a five-match series at the Groenkloof Tennis Stadium, Pretoria, from Saturday, February 1, to Sunday, February 2, 2025.
The tie consists of five matches—four Singles and one Doubles encounter.
The first match will feature the host nation’s number one player, Philip Henning, against Nigeria’s number two, Ekpenyong.
The second match on Saturday will see Nigeria’s number one player, Christopher Bulus, take on South Africa’s second-ranked player, Kris van Wyk.
On Sunday, the reverse Singles matches will take place, with Bulus facing Henning and Ekpenyong playing van Wyk.
Canice Abua and Michael Emmanuel are scheduled to compete in the Doubles match against the South African duo of Alec Beckley and Leo Matthysen.
The draw was concluded during a ceremony at the Garden Field Hotel, Hatfield, attended by ITF officials, players, federation representatives, and coaches from both nations.
Matches are set to begin at 11:00 a.m. South African time (10:00 a.m. Nigerian time) on Saturday.