Kenya’s tennis star Mwakha wins Billie Jean King Cup opener in Namibia
By Kenneth Mwenda, August 4, 2025Kenya’s Mellisa Nanjala Mwakha got her country off to a flying start at the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament in Windhoek, Namibia, with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory over Tunisia’s Lina Soussi.
Playing in Match 1 of the tie between Kenya and Tunisia today Monday, August 4, 2025, Mwakha needed just 51 minutes to seal the win, delivering a clinical performance that showcased her composure, consistency, and tactical maturity on the hardcourt surface.
The 17-year-old dominated across all key match metrics, converting 6 break point opportunities and winning 52 points. In contrast, Soussi struggled with her serve, committing 10 double faults and landing only 39 per cent of her first serves.
Her victory gave Kenya a 1-0 lead in the tie, with Angella Okutoyi, fresh from winning silver at the World University Games, lined up next to extend the lead and help Kenya edge closer to the ultimate goal: promotion to Group II.
Mwakha was in full control from the opening game, breaking Soussi early and dictating play with clean groundstrokes and a composed baseline game. Despite not registering any aces, her serve held steady, backed by an impressive 68.6 per cent first-serve percentage and an 81.8 per cent success rate on second serves.
Blend of youth, experience
The Kenyan squad, captained by Tennis Kenya’s top female players, features a mix of youth and experience. Alongside Mwakha and Okutoyi are Alicia Owegi, Cynthia Jeruto, Stacey Yego, Seline Ahoya, and Nancy Kawira, the latter two joining from the African School Games in Algiers.
According to Tennis Kenya, the team underwent a two-week training camp at Karen Country Club to acclimatize to the hardcourt surface, rarely used in Kenya. The federation also highlighted that the players came into camp match-fit, following a busy stretch of international events hosted in Nairobi.
The tournament, which runs from August 4 to 9, features 12 nations, with only the winner earning promotion to Group II. Kenya is keen to improve on last year’s near miss, where they fell to Nigeria in the quarterfinals and missed out on promotion after losing to South Africa.