By Oscar Pilipili
Gilbert Kibet upset fifth seed Takahashu Yu of Japan 6-3, 6-0 to reach the second round of the Kenya Futures qualifiers tennis tournament at Nairobi Club.
Kibet is one of the five top local players fighting for eight places in the main draw of 32. Kibet, unseeded, faces yet another challenge when he plays Indian fourth seed Krishik Divakar in the deciding match today.
The winner between Kibet and Divakar advances to the main draw of the tournament that has US$10,000 (Sh780,000) prize money.
Other Kenyans in the tournament are Ian Rahedi, Daniel Waithaka, Benson Mugo, and Fazal Mohammed.
The local players are not in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking points since they hardly participate in global events.
Main draw
The tournament director, Wanjiru Mbugua, said yesterday players would earn international points if they enter the main draw.
"Players for the main draw are chosen on Association of Tennis Professional points which none of our players has," Mbugua said at Nairobi Club.
The tournament is sponsored by Top Spin, sports goods manufacturers, who have donated Sh585,000, Safaricom Sh350,000, Madison Sh20,000 and ITF Sh352,000.
The tournament is part of a series staged in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.
World number 522 Philippe De Bonnevie of France is the highest ranked player. Ugandan top player and world number 823, Duncan Mugabe, is the only East African to earn an automatic qualification to the main draw.
Fifty Players from 20 countries have entered the tournament and 31 feature in the qualifying rounds out of which eight will join 23 who have been accepted in the main draw.
