Team Kenya to train on new clay courts at Nairobi Club
Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi plays a shot to second seed Caroline Romeo of France during their ITF World W15 semi-finals match at Karen Country Club on November 19, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The hosts will be represented by Junior Wimbledon doubles champion Angella Okutoyi, her twin sister Roselida Asumwa, Alicia Owegi and Cynthia Wanjala
- Nairobi Club Chief Executive Office Walter Nyandiko told Nation Sport that the club was upgrading the nine tennis courts from murram to clay courts to the tune of Sh8 million
- Tennis Kenya Executive Officer Nancy Nduku said Team Kenya will start residential training this week as Kenya prepares to welcome top players from Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe for the Europe/Africa Group II qualifying event
Team Kenya is expected to start using new world-class clay tennis courts at Nairobi Club this week in readiness for the World Cup of Women tennis, Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Africa Group III, scheduled for June 12 to 17.
The hosts will be represented by Junior Wimbledon doubles champion Angella Okutoyi, her twin sister Roselida Asumwa, Alicia Owegi and Cynthia Wanjala.
Okutoyi from Auburn University and Owegi (Alabama University) are already in the country from Alabama and training under coach Francis Rogoi. Asumwa is expected Sunday from Cowley College Arkansas City, Kansas.
Wanjala is a student at Mbagathi Road Secondary School in Nairobi. Stacy Yego and Zimbabwe-based Melissa Mwakha are reserve players.
Nairobi Club Chief Executive Office Walter Nyandiko told Nation Sport that the club was upgrading the nine tennis courts from murram to clay courts to the tune of Sh8 million, with assistance from other partners, who include Absa Bank Kenya and beverage company, Coca-Cola.
“By Tuesday, the courts should be ready for use,” said Nyandiko on Saturday, allaying fears that they were running behind schedule to have the courts playable.
Tennis Kenya Executive Officer Nancy Nduku said Team Kenya will start residential training this week as Kenya prepares to welcome top players from Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe for the Europe/Africa Group II qualifying event which is a pathway to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We last hosted this tournament in 1995 when it was known as FedCup, so we are happy to bring it back to the Home of Tennis in Kenya at Nairobi Club. Tennis Kenya is excited to host the matches on courts which are now up to international standards,” said Nduku.
“It’s through luck and hard work that Okutoyi rose from the murram courts here. We had so many complaints from international players about the murram surfaces, which can take even a whole day to dry if it rains. They cause injuries and even a ball to deflect. Upgrading them to clay courts is really a big change. We will be able to host high profile tournaments because Kenya is a good destination,” Nduku noted.
Nairobi Club Sports chairman Micah Wanyama noted that the Billie Jean King Cup will serve as a springboard for the club to host high profile international tennis events after repositioning itself with the internationally-recognised clay courts.
