Kenya Ladies’ team stages commanding performance
Kenya’s destiny towards qualification for the Africa-Group Two Qualification in the Billie Jean King Cup is still on course following another cruising win Wednesday by the ladies’ team over neighbours Uganda.
The home team beat the Pearl nation 3-0 in a convincing style with two singles wins and the bonus doubles victory in the afternoon duel. For the third time, Angella Okutoyi led the line with another controlled 6-0/6-0 win over Patience Athieno in what was an easy cruise to the finish line as – the first rubber of the Ladies’ singles played out for under an hour total.
Okutoyi was bossing the game with calculated shots and solid serve that the opponent failed to deal with well. Her poise and aggression also shone in the entire match as she showed her class as amongst the top players in the tournaments so far. Both sets put her at an advanced advantage over her challenger as Okutoyi dictated her movement and net game presence.
In the second match for Kenya in the Singles category, Cynthia Wanjala came hard on her Ugandan opponent Winnie Burungi with a well-deserved straight set 6-3/6-0 victory. Both sets were contrasting for both players as they both played at their optimum.
However, it was the home girl who came alive in the match despite having to work extra hard in the opening set where she dropped three games total. After a pep-talk in the break with Coach Francis Mwangi, Wanjala switched gears a notch higher.
and played a lot more with freedom and energy. Her return game was fluid plus her first service was also improved. She pinned the Ugandan challenger into uncomfortable spots which proved decisive when it mattered.
In the doubles rubber, Kenya’s pair of Roselida Asumwa and Melissa Mwakha dominated proceedings with a clinical 6-2/6-0 victory in the third match for Kenyans. Once again, Uganda simply had no answers for the quick and effective Kenyan players who had good chemistry on the court.
The first set seemed to go on for eternity due to a lot of points battling but the Kenyan duo were calm and collected as they executed their mission to the latter albeit dropping two games in the process. Mwakha who was playing her first active match in the tournament played a crucial support role whenever she was either returning next to the net or serving at the baseline. On her part, Asumwa made lots of running and power play that complicated the opponent’s plans.
Kenya today faced their trickiest opponent to date, Nigeria, who are yet to lose a match and lead the standings 9-0 of all their played matches to date against 8-1 for Kenya. Nigeria were in full breeze as they dismantled a woeful Namibia 3-0 in a Pool A clash. In Pool B, leaders Tunisia continued their good progress after posting their ninth win in succession against Botswana.