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By Oscar Pilipili
Profiled as mentally and physically tough by one of her coaches, Nikita Dawda has lived up to the description in all the tournaments she has played in.
She showed that Kenyan players could go places with quality training and constant practice by winning two gold medals at the East Africa Zonal Championships in Dar ea Salaam, Tanzania.
While Dawda’s triumph provides ample evidence of her fine ability, the greatest of it all was the 30-point effort she gained at the event to earn a credible world ranking of 821.
The position held by the 13-year-old student of Hillcrest Secondary School is currently the highest by any Kenyan woman in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) under-18 ranking.
Unbeaten run
Dawda’s first gold medal came when she won four matches to finish top and unbeaten in the girls’ under-14 category.
Nikita Dawda in action last month. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]
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Dawda then combined efforts with teammate Onyancha to claim a second gold after beating Ethiopian pair of Emira Michael and Samerawit Teklu 6-3, 6-3 in the doubles.
Shufaa Changawa handed Kenya silver medal after she lost 6-1, 1-6, 2-6 against Laura Syori of Burundi in the girls’ under-16 singles final.
The team four boys and four girls, returned home with two gold and silver.
Africa Event
Nikita said her performance in Dar has taken her confidence to the next level.
"The tournament was tough because all countries presented their best players," she told FeverPitch on Saturday.
"Everybody in our team was working hard and we were supportive of each other, but what mattered most was how much focus one put in the heat," said the Jim Davies Tennis Academy trained player.
Her super show in Dar also earned her a place in the Kenyan team to the African Junior Championships (AJC) set for Morocco in April.
"I’ve gained more confidence after beating my rivals from Ethiopia and Burundi," she said.
"I’ll be looking at my successful start of the season to perform better in the AJC and improve my world ranking," said Dawda who turns 14 on February 22.
Dawda revealed that one of her greatest source of inspiration has been the presence of her mother (Rajuli Nitin Dawda) at tournaments.
"My family and trainers have always supported me whether I come successful or unsuccessful, they’ve never let me feel I did bad or good," she said.
Dawda advised fellow players that it didn’t matter how much time they put in training but they should focus more on skills while playing.
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