Hemery, it will be recalled, lost in the final of the 2016 Lagos Gov's Tennis championship at the centre court of the Lagos Lawn Tennis Court, Onikan to Enrique Lopez-Perez of Spain 7-5, 7-5.
Also prior to his last Saturday's final, Hemery had failed to claim the doubles title of Dayak Open when he alongside Nigerian Sylvester Emmanuel lost 4-6, 0-6 to Italian Alessandro Bega and Viktor Durasovic of Norway in the final.
Top seed and 279th ITF-ranked Hemery could not reignite his awe-inspiring form as he bowed 6-2, 6-4 to his opponent who is number four seed.
Kristen ranked 159 had become a favourite for the men's singles title after he conquered the winner of Tombim Open Nigeria F1 Futures, Canadian and second seed, Brayden Schnur in the semi-final.
The final match was watched by the Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Senator Udo Udoma and former Kogi state governor, Idris Wada, among others.
In his remarks, Mohammed said the three-chain tournament in Abuja {Tombim, Dayak and GSL} provided an avenue to promote tourism potential in Nigeria as well as the presence of peace in the country.
“With over 60 foreigners from about 25 countries representing six continents of the world staying in our country for over three weeks, this event has served as an avenue to tell more about our dear country that we are a peaceful and hospitable nation.
"We are happy that a sport like tennis is giving us a very good image because all the players will tell good story of Nigeria when they get back to their countries,” Mohammed said.
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Caption: Pedja Krstin, beats Hemery to the Dayak Open title in Abuja.
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