Kenya battle top seeds Morocco in Billie Jean Cup opener
Kenya's Angella Okutoyi trains at the Nairobi Club on June 7,2023 ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament.
What you need to know:
- Kenya, who last hosted the tournament in 1995 when it was called Fed Cup, are in Pool “A” alongside top-seeded Morocco (90th in the world), Botswana (100), Nigeria (110), Namibia (113) and Uganda (114).
- Pool “B” brings together second-seeded Tunisia (93rd globally), Ghana (106), Burundi (109), Zimbabwe (112), Mauritius (114) and Seychelles (117).
Hosts Kenya will get their campaign underway against highly-rated Moroccans at 10am as the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group Three serves off Monday at the Nairobi Club.
Coach Francis Rogoi’s charges led by Junior Wimbledon Doubles champion Angella Okutoyi, who occupy position 116 in the world, could not have asked for a more daunting task in their first group match.
Kenya, who last hosted the tournament in 1995 when it was called Fed Cup, are in Pool “A” alongside top-seeded Morocco (90), Botswana (100), Nigeria (110), Namibia (113) and Uganda (114).
Pool “B” brings together second-seeded Tunisia (93), Ghana (106), Burundi (109), Zimbabwe (112), Mauritius (114) and Seychelles (117).
“Everything is in place. The courts are ready waiting for us and we are up to the challenge. We have 12 teams to compete with for the title and Team Kenya is ready,” said Rogoi.
Asked whether they are favourites due to home advantage and the addition of Okutoyi to the team of Alicia Owegi, Roselida Asumwa and Cynthia Cheruto which competed in Skopje, North Macedonia last year, Rogoi said: “We don’t want to put pressure on our team. Every team that is playing here is worth being at the top.”
Regarding the new surface at Nairobi Club which has been upgraded from murram to international standards of clay, Rogoi said clay will be better than murram.
“We don’t have murram surfaces anywhere in the world except here. We have had murram for an extremely long time, so I urge every club in the country to try and emulate what Nairobi Club and Tennis Kenya have done at Nairobi Club. If possible have clay or hard courts, but just to do away completely with murram for the purposes of development of tennis in Kenya. Murram has a lot of shortcomings if you compare it with the two surfaces I have mentioned.”
He also asked Kenyans to turn up in large numbers to rally behind their team.
“The atmosphere will be very good for the players to play and this is what we are looking forward to because the environment when fans are here players get a lot of motivation. We urge all Kenyans to make time to come support the team.”
Winners of the two pools will meet in the final to decide who punches the ticket to compete in Europe/Africa Group II in 2024.
