Rakuom calls for early preparation ahead of Africa U14, U16 championships

Tennis under 14 player Naila Gikunda returns a serve during the East Africa Zonal championship at Nairobi Club/TENNIS KENYA

Tennis Kenya coach Peter Rakuom has called for solid preparation and increased exposure for junior players ahead of the Africa Under-14 and Under-16 Tennis Championships set for Tunisia in October.

Rakuom spoke after Team Kenya's commanding performance at the ITF-CAT East Africa Tournament held at Nairobi Club on January 22-25, where the hosts swept the individual and team titles.

The coach stressed the need for international exposure in the coming months, urging the federation to prioritise tournament participation for the players.

“Exposure and preparation will be vital. We can’t rest on our laurels. We need to stay active, keep playing and ensure the boys and girls are in good shape when the Africa event comes later in the year,” said Rakuom.

Kenya underwhelmed at the previous Africa Junior Championships in Morocco last November, where the boys finished eighth (out of 10) and the girls finished bottom of the standings (10th). 

However, Rakuom believes lessons learnt from that campaign will be crucial.

“A good number of the players who featured last year now understand what is required at that level. I am confident that if we get a couple of tournaments under our belt, we will be able to challenge the top sides on the continent,” he added.

In the individual finals at Nairobi Club, Nancy Kawira defeated Seline Ahoya 6-2 6-3 to win the girls’ Under-14 title, while Bathseba Ogamba claimed the Under-16 crown after beating Paula Ouko 6-2 6-4.

In the boys’ Under-14 final, Inditiasi Olembo cruised past Burundi’s Abdoul Nduwimana 6-0, 6-2, while Jeff Okuku edged Dan Muteramphure of Burundi 7-6 (4) 7-5 to secure the Under-16 title.

Kenya also dominated the team events. In the Under-14 girls’ category, the hosts registered 3-0 victories over Uganda, Eritrea and Seychelles in the preliminaries before defeating Ethiopia 2-0 in the final. Burundi settled for bronze.

The Under-14 boys were equally impressive, beating Tanzania and Uganda 3-0 in the preliminary rounds before overcoming a spirited Rwanda side 2-1 in the final, with Burundi again claiming bronze.

In the Under-16 team category, Kenya beat Rwanda 2-1 and Somalia 3-0 in the group stage before edging Burundi 2-0 in the final.