Davis Cup: Abua draws Bennani in opening game as Nigeria battles Morocco for World Group 1 ticket

Nigeria’s number one star, Canice Abuah, will meet Morocco’s Karim Bennani in the opening game of the Davis Cup World Group 11 contest on Saturday at the Conference Hall of the Union Sportive des Cheminots de Tennis du Maroc in Rabat.

The tie is a qualifier for a World Group 1 ticket, with the Moroccans, who were relegated to the World Group 11 last season, seeking a quick return to the elite class.

Nigeria, on the other hand, is seeking to continue its impressive upswing in the Davis Cup after gaining promotion to the Group 11 early this year with a comprehensive victory over Uzbekistan.

Prior to Friday’s draw, a meet-and-greet was held where players, coaches and officials of both countries interacted in a cordial atmosphere. The session, which was witnessed by International Tennis Federation (ITF) representatives, set the tone for the formal ceremony.

Abua will open proceedings against Bennani in the first singles rubber on Saturday morning. In the second singles of Day One, Nigeria’s Daniel Adeleye will take on Morocco’s Yassine Dlimi.

Action resumes on Sunday with the crucial doubles rubber. Morocco will present the pair of Younes Lalami and Yassine Dlimi against Nigeria’s Michael Emmanuel and Yusuf Abubakar.

The reverse singles will follow. Karim Bennani will face Daniel Adeleye, while the potentially decisive fifth rubber will pit Yassine Dlimi against Canice Abua.

All five rubbers will be best-of-three tiebreak sets on clay.

The tie holds huge significance for Nigeria, who are seeking to break a 50-year winless run against Morocco. Nigeria has lost all four previous Davis Cup meetings between the two nations since 1973.

The Nigerian contingent, which arrived in Rabat on Monday after an intensive training camp in Lagos, is led by Head Coach Benson Ishicheli and was ably represented at the draw ceremony by NTF Vice President Datti Yusuf.

Nigeria secured promotion to World Group II for the first time in three decades after a 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan in February, while Morocco dropped from World Group I after losing to Colombia.

The winner of the tie will advance to the 2027 World Group I Play-offs, while the loser remains in World Group II.