Kenya bounce back to win bronze medal
Tennis
By
Ochieng Oyugi
| Jun 18, 2023
Morocco are the winners of the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament that concluded at the Nairobi Club on Saturday.
Morocco beat Tunisia 2-1 to emerge champions. They will now represent the region to the Euro-Africa tournament next season.
Kenya beat Zimbabwe 2-1 to finish third in the play-offs.
Wimbledon junior doubles champion Angella Okutoyi beat Sasha Natalie of Zimbabwe 6-3,6-4 in the opening singles of the day.
Cynthia Cheruto lost the next singles match 6-2,6-1 to Ricardo Magarira of Zimbabwe.
In the doubles, Okutoyi partnered with Alicia Owegi to win on tie breaks of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) against the Zimbabwe duo of Natalie and Magarira.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba presented to the six Kenyan players Sh178,000 each for staging a commendable show in the week-long tournament.
Okutoyi felt happy with the bronze finish saying it's a better performance compared to Kenya's 11th place ranking in the tournament last season.
"We definitely improved on all fronts. We had better serves than any side in the tournament," Okutoyi told Standard Sports.
"The great serves were our strong point, it was our biggest weapon that helped us throughout the championship."
Okutoyi admitted the bonuses presented by the government motivated the team to engage in the crunch playoff against Zimbabwe with vigour.
But she once again urged the state to set up facilities that will help to bridge the gap between her and other Kenyan players, especially the young and upcoming who are the future of the game.
"I'm happy that Melissa Mwakha and Stacy Yego, who are very promising players, were in the team. They learnt a lot and had exposure that has prepared them for future tournaments," said Okutoyi.
Owegi reiterated that the whole team deserved the win and it's great that they sailed through to the podium.
"Personally, I enjoyed myself. I think this is the best tournament I have ever played in, owing to the home support from fans and family," said Owegi.
Mwakha reckoned that playing with older girls and watching most of the matches on the sideline inspired her game.
Yego, 15, said she is now motivated after watching Okutoyi's display in the tournament.
"Okutoyi is my role model, I hope to play like her in the future," Yego stated.
While basking in the glory of the play off victory, Kenya's head coach cum captain Francis Rogoi stated: "We had a low day on Friday, so this victory today lifted our spirits."