By Erick Ochieng
Top seed Gilbert Kibet started the Kenya Junior International Tennis Championship campaign by beating Botswana’s Lefa Sibanda 6-3, 7-6(5) at Parklands Sports Club, Nairobi.
Kibet, ranked 417 in the world, is the highest ranked Kenyan player in the event that has attracted 68 foreign players from eleven countries.
Points scored at the event will be used for International Tennis Federation rankings. Kibet bagged four straight points against Lefa who was still building up momentum in the first set. Most of the visitor’s shots hardly passed the net as he lacked strategy to counter Kibet’s serves.
But Lefa managed to pick and dust himself up towards the end, which saw him gain three points against Kibet who won the set 6-3. And it was not easy for Kibet in the second set as Lefa kept his tricks at bay.
Lefa discovered that quick straight replies to the host’s blazing shots was the remedy, a move that disturbed Kibet for a while.
At 3-3, the visitor opened a blast that almost destabilised the host, which saw him lead 5-3 for the first time.
Kibet did not want to disappoint, and despite the scorching sun at the murrum court he engaged a winning game.
He forced Lefa to a 5-5 tie, then 6-6, before a tiebreak to end the game 7-6(5). "I’m serious with this event, I want to gather as many points as I can since I am targeting the African Junior Championship (AJC) in Morocco in April," said Kibet.
Kibet added that he is using the tournament to prepare for the AJC where he expects to bag maximum points that would admit him to a grand slam in France later this year.
In another encounter, Kenya’s Jaleel Chege succumbed to Valentin Piret of Belgium 6-0,6-0.
