Yego, Ominde seal African Junior Tennis Championship slots

Kenyans Stacy Yego and Baraka Ominde are delighted to qualify for the ITF/CAT African Junior Tennis Championship 16 and under to be held later this year.

Second seed Yego came from behind to upset number one Melissa Mwakha in an all-Kenyan girls’ singles 16 and under final at the 2024 East African Junior Individual and Teams Championships in Bujumbura, Burundi on Tuesday.

“I won the championship and I’m really happy about my performance. I did not get the chance to play the tournament last year, but I had been looking forward to playing it. My goal was to win the zonal championship and I’m really happy about it,” Yego said on Wednesday.

With the win came the ticket to represent Kenya at the African Junior Championship 16 and under. “I’m looking forward to the African championship. I’m going to train hard for it. I’m happy with how I played in the Zonals,” noted the 15-year-old. 

On her way to being crowned the champion, Yego earned a first-round bye before outwitting Burundians Miringa Sun 6-0, 6-0 and Hategekimana (no.8) 6-0, 6-2 and Ugandan Hilder Afwoyoroth 6-1, 6-2 in that order.

Zimbabwe-born Mwakha also got a first-round bye before outclassing Kapofi Ruki (Tanzania) 6-0, 6-0, Olivia Natukunda (Uganda) 6-0, 6-0, and Kenyan third-seed Hadassah Msine 6-2, 6-0, but was stopped by Yego. 

“I think I could have done a lot better in the final match, but my other matches were manageable,” Mwakha told Nation Sport from Bujumbura.

Msine settled for bronze after seeing off Afwoyoroth 6-2, 6-2. In girls' singles 14 and under, Kenya’s best performer Bathsheba Ogamba (no.7) finished fourth after losing in the bronze medal match against Chantal Niyimbazi (Burundi) 7-6(2), 6-2. 

Kenyans Nancy Kawira (no.1) and Michelle Murage (no.3) lost to Burundian Bebita Ishimwe (no.5) 6-4, 7-5 and Niyimbazi 6-1, 6-0 in quarter-final stage.

Ominde (no.1) won gold for Kenya in boys’ 16 and under after defeating Burundian Miki Igiraneza (no.6) 6-2, 6-1 in the final.

“I’m happy that I won the title this year. I was third last year, so I told myself that I should try harder this year. I’m proud I won it. I played so well in my final match like everything was working. I deserved the championship. I’m happy I qualified for the Africa Junior Championship,” said Ominde.

“It (my teammates support) gave me the motivation to win this tournament. I also thank my coach and everyone who supported me,” added Ominde.

Compatriots Brian Nyakundi Odingo (no.2) and Ayush Bhandari (no.8) were eliminated in the quarter-finals. 

Kenya’s top seed in boys’ 14 and under, Jeff Hesbon Okuku finished fourth after succumbing to Ugandan Rajab Sebbi (no.4) 7-6(6), 6-4 in the bronze medal match. Kenyans Aum Chandarana and Ayaan Quadros (no.6) exited in round 2 and quarter-final stage respectively. 

Second seeds Okuku and Quadros retained the boys’ 14 and under doubles title by beating Ugandan top seeds Samuel Okello and Rajab Sebbi 6-3, 6-4. 

“The (Kenyan) players performed well in the individual event which was a qualifier for the African Junior Championships to be held later in the year. The Under-14 will be held in Togo, while the U-16 host is yet to be determined,” explained coach Rosemary Owino from Bujumbura, where the team competition for the zone began on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, W25 Nairobi singles and doubles champion Angella Okutoyi made it to the main draw of the W35 Naples tournament in Florida, USA after outclassing Louise Kwong (Canada) 6-2, 6-1 and Chieh-Yu Hsu (Taipei) 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 in the qualifying rounds respectively.

The two-time Kenya Open champion will face Cadence Brace (Canada) in the first round of the main draw.

Okutoyi and American partner Carolyn Ansari from Auburn University will begin their doubles campaign on Wednesday night against top seeds Sofia Sewing (USA) and Kayla Cross (Canada).