Five Kenyans storm finals at EA junior tennis

Five Kenyan players will contest in Thursday’s finals of the 2018 Eastern African Junior Tennis Championship at the Nairobi Club.

Home players among them Angela Okutoyi, Roselida Asumwa, Jayson Mbogoro, Kael Shah and Ryan Randiek won their respective singles semi-finals Wednesday to cap off a great day for Kenyan players in the annual regional tourney.

Top seed Okutoyi was first up on court against compatriot and third seed Alicia Owegi in the girls’ under 14 semi-finals singles match. It is the top seed who came out on top, cruising to a 6-1, 6-4 win.

Okuyoti will come up against another Kenyan in Thursday's final after second seed Asumwa downed Cynthia Cheruto 6-2, 6-1 in their semi-final encounter.

Both players are relishing the final clash.

“It is always great to be in a final especially against a familiar player and I am sure it will be a match worth watching,” Okutoyi said.

Asumwa on the other hand admits that it will be a bitter sweet experience to have to fight against her fellow country man for the crown.

“At the end of the, there has to be one winner but I wish it would have been against another player,” she said.

The boys’ under 14 final will also be another home affair pitting top seed Kael Shah and fourth seed Jayson Mbogoro. Shah, who has only dropped one match on his way to the final, made light work of third seed Abdoul Nuru of Burundi in their semi-final singles encounter wining 6-0, 6-0.

Mbogoro on the other hand also recorded a routine 6-0, 6-2 win over Tanzania’s second seed Omary Alagwa in the other last four encounter.

“I want to end the competition on a high and that means winning but overall I am satisfied with the far I have come,” Mbogoro noted.

Randiek will fly the country's flag in the boys’ under 16 final when he comes up against Seychelles’ Damien Laporte.

Randiek, who won the under 14 title in last year’s final before scaling up the ladder, eliminated Rwanda’s Bertin Karenzi 6-2, 6-3 in the semis and the top seed believes he is under pressure to complete the job.

“Everyone will be looking at me to deliver in the final and I believe and I well prepared to meet their expectations, a confident Randiek said.

Laporte ended any hopes of another Kenyan final after he beat Derrick Ominde 6-0, 6-2. The girls’ final will be a Burundian affair between Aisha Niyonkuru and Hozianne Kitambala.