Morocco ended Nigeria’s journey in the Davis Cup World Group II with a 4-0 defeat on Sunday at the Railway Club courts in Rabat, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The home team finished strong with two more wins after leading 2-0 on Saturday. Karim Bennani and Yassine Dlimi won their singles matches to give Morocco the advantage.
Bennani kicked off the tie with a strong 6-1, 6-2 win against Canice Abua. Dlimi followed with a similar 6-1, 6-2 victory over Yusuf Abubakar, putting Morocco firmly in control.
On Sunday, the schedule included the doubles match and the reverse singles. Nigeria’s Michael Emmanuel and Yusuf Abubakar faced Morocco’s Younes Lalami and Dlimi in the doubles.
The doubles match ended 6-3, 6-2 in favor of Morocco, sealing their win. Amine Jamji then defeated Emmanuel 6-3, 6-4 in the reverse singles.
This loss ends Nigeria’s campaign at the World Group II level. They had earned promotion in February after beating Uzbekistan 3-1 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Onikan.
That promotion was the highest level Nigeria had reached in the Davis Cup. Unfortunately, their preparations for the Morocco tie hit a snag when Adeleye withdrew due to injury. Seun Ogunsakin also pulled out due to conditioning issues.
With this victory, Morocco secures a spot in the 2027 World Group I Play-offs. Meanwhile, Nigeria will remain in the World Group II play-offs for next year.
This defeat also means Nigeria still has not won a Davis Cup match against Morocco. They have lost all four of their previous meetings since 1973.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇