Fourth seeded Tom Jomby lived up to his billing, as he was the only survivor among the ranked players in the final of the fourth Dayak Championships (ITF Tennis Tour) at the Abuja National Stadium. Yesterday, he went a notch higher by beating Danylo Kalenichenko in straight sets to win the title.Relying on his powerful serve, Jomby from France dominated the first set, which he won 6-1. Kalenichenko of Ukraine came up strong in the second set, but fell 7-6 (4) in the tiebreak.
Kalenichenko conceded that he lost to a good player. “I had thought I will catch up and clinch the second set, but Jomby’s big serves and hot shots neutralised my efforts. There is no doubt, he is a good player, but he might not find it easy next week in the GSL Open. “I am staying back to participate in the GSL Open,” said the soft spoken Kalenichenko, who is making his second trip to Abuja in the ITF Tennis Tour.
Savouring his triumph, Jomby, who was bundled out in the first round last week in the Tombim International arm of the ITF Tennis Tour by William Bushamuka of the USA, said the competition was so tough that no player was sure of winning the tournament until it was decided. “I hope to be in form in the GSL Open, which serves off tomorrow,” Jomby added.
In the doubles, Frenchman Sadio Doumbia paired his favourite countryman, Fabien Reboul to win the men’s title as they overpowered Dan Added and Michail Pervolarakis of Greece 6-4, 5-7 (10-6).“I must commend the officials for the unbiased decisions since the beginning of the tournament. We have spent two weeks without issue with the umpires. The standard of organisation of this tournament is higher than some tournaments in Europe. I wish the standard be maintained,” Doumbia said.
Speaking at the end of the competition, president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Dayo Akindoju, who has been bankrolling the Dayak Championships since inception four years ago, said it had been a wonderful week in the Dayak Championships. Akindoju said he hoped to see more Nigerian talents featuring in the ITF Tennis Tour in Abuja, adding that the NTF was concentrating efforts in youth development.
