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 the Nairobi Club.
The 16 and 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 said.
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.”Ouoko said
Burundi’s Dan Arek Muterampuhwe won the boys 14 and under title winning against
Uganda’s Samuel Okello 6-2, 7-5.
The Individual Zones’ Championships for 14 and 16 years & under will serve as an
evaluation for an eventual selection of potential players to take part at the 1st AJC for 14
and U in February 2025 and for the AJC for 16 & U in April 2025.
The team events will commence tomorrow and run through the 23rd of January.
The post Kenyans claim five titles at the East African Junior Tennis Championship first appeared on KBC.
The post Kenyans claim five titles at the East African Junior Tennis Championship appeared first on KBC.