Oduor beats Changawa to lift Real Insurance Kenya Open Tennis trophy

BY OSCAR PIPILI

Experience prevailed over youth after 27-year-old Caroline Oduor beat Shufa Changawa, 19, to lift Real Insurance Kenya Open Tennis Championships crown at the Nairobi Club.

Oduor recovered from first set scare to beat Changawa 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-2 in a tough ladies singles final that lasted two hours 45 minute at the center court yesterday.

The players matched each other point by point in the opening set after Oduor won the first game.

The players were tied 6-6 after 12 games forcing match umpire Samuel Kipkoech to extend the match into tie-breaker that Changawa won at 4.

Oduor was rampant in the second set as she bagged the first three games before Changawa responded by winning fourth game.

New skills

Changawa applied new skills that saw her attack both from baseline and close to the net but Oduor used well her experience to contain the youngster from Mombasa to stretch her advantage to 4-1.

Cheered by vocal fans that included her elder brother Fazal Khan, Changawa gathered efforts to gain her second game wwand narrow the scores to 4-2.

Oduor would then hold onto her serve to win two successive games and wrap up the set at 6-2.

Changawa started sluggishly in the third set and allowed Oduor to break her and take 2-0 lead in opening minutes of the contest.

Changawa would then break Oduor to win the fourth game but the champion once again applied her vast experience to win three successive games and leave her opponent trailing at 1-5.

The gap was too huge for Changawa to bridge and it was Oduor’s day as she maintained pace to win the set 6-2 and seal her fourth Kenya Open title.

This match lacked firepower as both players opted to display high balls and pushes throughout the competition.

This can be underlined by the fact that just one ace, recorded by Oduor in the first set was the only one seen in this final.

The winner pocketed Sh100000 while the runner-up carried home Sh50000, courtesy of sponsors Kenya Real Insurance.

Oduor said: “The match was rather tough but Changawa did not attack like I expected her to.”

“My forehand worked so well today and I enjoyed every bit of my game,” she added after the final encounter.

Oduor said she will now focus on forthcoming international competitions including Money Circuit in Rwanda and Tanzania.

Changawa conceded defeat saying that she lost to a better opponent.

“She was the most superior player as she put every ball in the court. My strategy didn’t work today but there is always a next time,” she said.