Abidjan 2 Challenger ATP 50: Coulibaly, Dougaz and Henning reach the quarter-finals
African players shone on Thursday at the Abidjan 2 Challenger ATP 50 tournament, with 3 of the 4 through to the quarter-finals
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Four African players were in second-round action on Thursday at the Abidjan 2 Challenger ATP 50 tournament. Three of them secured their places in the quarter-finals, underlining the strong continental showing at an event staged in Ivory Coast, the very first edition of the competition in West Africa.
First up was Eliakim Coulibaly. With the home crowd firmly behind him, the Ivorian never wobbled against Russia's Kirill Kivattsev. In two controlled sets (6-2, 6-4), the world No. 324 dictated the tempo and showed his consistency. Already impressive in his opening match, Coulibaly lives up to his billing as the No. 7 seed and continues his untroubled progress through the tournament.
South Africa's Philip Henning also stood out, coming through a hard-fought match against Britain's Giles Hussey. After a battle lasting 2 hours and 34 minutes, Henning won in three sets (7-5, 3-6, 6-2).
Another African showdown with a semi-final place at stake
The third African through is none other than Aziz Dougaz, who beat his compatriot Moez Echargui in Thursday's all-Tunisian clash, a match between two players from the same country (100 % Tunisian). The more experienced Dougaz (world No. 196) upheld the rankings, even though the first set was tight (7-5, 6-2). Despite his fighting spirit, Echargui, ranked 478th, could not match him over the distance.
The quarter-finals will bring a highly anticipated meeting between Philip Henning and Aziz Dougaz, two players well known on the second-tier circuit. That clash could shift the balance of the tournament in the bottom half of the draw. For his part, Eliakim Coulibaly will face Georgia's Aleksandre Bakshi (world No. 476), with the chance to reach the semi-finals for the first time at a Challenger event on home soil.