Africa-Press – Kenya. Tennis was one of the few sports that successfully navigated the stormy seas of Covid-19 for the past year, or so.
Amidst the ravaging implications of the pandemic, the sport surged on and produced outstanding achievers both on the local and the international front.
PRODIGY
Notable among the achievers is Angela Okutoyi, who took the country by storm following her splendid performance at the Kenya Open Championship where she craftily outmanouvered her opponents to cruise to the winners’ podium.
Okutoyi, who currently places 142nd in the world rankings, looks forward to a similar whirlwind in 2022 as she embarks on another title hunt at the Australian Open junior tournament in Melbourne.
In Melbourne, the teen sensation will look to gauge herself against the world’s top cream as she hopes to land an invite to feature in the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year.
Okutoyi’s coach Thuku Rogoi believes the sky is the limit for the Tennis prodigy.
“ I’m confident Angela is going places and with the opportunities coming from Grand Slam tournaments, she will become a better player and I believe she will move up the rankings,” added Rogoi.
Okutoyi said she is relishing gracing the biggest venues that host the sport, including Melbourne Park.
“ I’m really excited. It’s been a dream to play in the Grand Slam tournaments because it will be a great opportunity to brush shoulders with the best players in the world,” added Okutoyi.
Okutoyi finished the year strongly by beating Aya El Aouni of Morocco 6-3, 6-3 at the 2021 Africa Junior Under-18 Championships in Sousse, Tunisia in November.
Okutoyi termed the victory the toughest of the year after she overcame the heat and minor injury concerns on her way to the title.
“It was one of the most challenging adjustings to the climate and playing back-to-back events was not easy and I had to dig deep to win and make the country proud,” said Okutoyi.
She hoped that in 2022, there will be a semblance of normality on the tennis calendar especially internationally.
“I hope to play as many tournaments as possible and I hope to get as many more opportunities to play internationally against the best players in the world” she added.
DAVIS CUP TEAM
The Davis Cup team hopes of advancing to the 2022 Davis Cup playoffs went up in smoke as they lost to Benin in the round-robin during the tournament held in Egypt.
Team Kenya beat Rwanda 3-0, Mozambique 2-1, and Ghana 3-0 on their way to the mouthwatering clash with the West Africans, who extinguished their dreams following a 2-1 defeat.
After the debacle, Ishmael Changawa expressed confidence that the country will qualify next year.
“We put up a commendable fight but lost the game that mattered to Benin. But I believe we are not too far away from qualification because we have a solid team that is a blend of youth and experience,” said Changawa.
Changawa — a two time Kenya Open champion — said the key was to play as many tournaments as possible in order to boost their chances.
“Preparation will be key to our future performance. If we get two to three tournaments before the Davis Cup we will be fine. We are highly motivated to go one place better than last time around,” added Changawa.
Changawa said they want to take the country back to the good old days —especially in the ’90s — when the likes of Paul Wekesa and Eno Polo flew the country’s flag high on the international stage.
“I believe we need to emulate that group and we hope next year we can get promotion to Group Two.”
The women’s team playing in the Billie Jean King Cup finished a disappointing 18th in Lithuania in June, losing to Malta, Zimbabwe, and Algeria by a similar 3-0 scoreline despite fielding a strong side but inexperienced side that comprised Angela Okutoyi, siblings Rosehilda Asumwa, Cynthia Wanjala and Rosehilda Asumwa.
However, Tennis Kenya secretary-general Wanjku Mbugua Karani reckons the team will be better in the long run.
“It’s not the result that we wanted but it’s a learning experience for the girls and in subsequent years we will be competitive,” added Wanjiru.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
The wheelchair tennis team participated in the Wheelchair Tennis World Cup qualifiers in Portugal, where the women’s team finished sixth and the men’s team eighth, both missing out on the ticket to the Wheelchair World event slated for later this year in Sardinia, Italy.
The team comprised captains Lawrence Karanja and Peter Rakuom as well as players Jane Ndenga, Asiya Sururu, Collins Ondimo, Peter Munuve and Rajab Abdallah
The Wheelchair Junior Development Programs continued at Masuku School for the Physically Challenged in Machakos, the Porteiz Special School, the Mombasa school for the physically challenged, and Joytown School in Thika.
According to Tennis Kenya administrator, Nancy Nduku, it’s an opportunity to give players with disabilities a chance to play the game despite the challenges they are facing.
“It’s a programme that is growing in the country, where we have an opportunity to work closely with various counties to grow the sport and unearth new talents,” said Nduku.
Tennis Kenya will also restructure the National Tennis Centre at Nairobi Club in the new year as it endeavours to increase the Junior Tennis initiative from the existing 25 schools to a projected 50.
“The more the schools, the better for the sport given it increases our player pool and the kids can start learning tennis from a young age,” added Nduku.
TK will be keen to have more international tournaments in the new year, ranging from the Africa Junior tournaments.
After a three-year absence, the most prestigious tournament in the tennis calendar, the Kenya Open, will be played in July after two-year hiatus occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of a sponsor in the 2019 edition.
“It’s in the calendar and we hope to have it and assemble the best players locally and internationally.”
Other highlights for the new year include the East Africa zone championships and the various International Tennis Federation age categories.
Also planned is the Africa Junior championships Under 12 and Under-14 events slated for this year.
For More News And Analysis About Kenya Follow Africa-Press
