Kenyan tennis youngsters rule regional tourney
Unique Sports
By
Standard Sports
| Jan 19, 2025
Kenya's upcoming tennis stars triumphed in the 14's (singles and Doubles) and 16's singles, claiming five out of the six titles in contention during the finals of ITF/CAT Eastern African Junior Individual Championships 2025 at Nairobi Club.
The 16 & Under boys and girls' finals were a thrilling contest with both stretching to three full sets to produce the eventual winners. In the girls' category, an all-Kenyan final,
Seline Aboya claimed the first set 6-3, but Nancy Kawira bounced back to claim the second and third set 6-2, 6-2 to claim the ultimate 16 and under girls' title.
"I am happy I won the tournament because the last time I played Seline, she won, but I had to fight. I thank Tennis Kenya for hosting this tournament, a lot of people came and supported us," Nancy Kawira.
In the boys' 16 and under, Kenya's Ayush Bhandari overcame Burundi's Miki Nobel Igiraneza, a player Ayush had lost to in their previous three encounters. Ayush won 2-1 of 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 for the title.
"It was a really tough match; I am really happy I was able to go through. I have lost to the same player in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, three years in a row, so it feels really nice to win especially at home. The crowd was amazing, it helped me through my three sets. We are looking forward to the team events, come and support us," said Ayush.
Felicia Ouko was crowned the girls' singles 14 and under champion after winning the final against her compatriot and friend Liya Gikunda 6-2, 6-4. The duo partnered for the girls' doubles 14 and under finals - another Kenyan affair seeing off teammates Bathsheba Ogamba and Jenerica Rogoi 6-1, 6-1 to claim the doubles title.
"This tournament has been a great experience, lots of fights and lots of tough matches but I pulled through. This whole experience has been really good, I played well in this tournament and hopefully, we can take the team event. It was nice to win both the singles and doubles but I need to focus on the team event, I feel nice representing my country," said Ouko.