Home players eye U-14 title

Fresh from winning the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Under-12 East Africa Junior Team Championship title at the Nairobi Club, Kenya’s Nicole Agufana and Cynthia Cheruto turn their attentions to the ITF Under-14 African Junior Circuit first leg.

The week-long competition gets underway on Monday at the Nairobi Club with 60 players from various African countries set to compete for individual honours in both the boys and girls categories.

The hosts will represented by eight boys and seven girls in Monday’s first round matches.

Agufana, who is unseeded in this tourney, will take on Burundi’s Aziza Manirakiza in their first round encounter. The duo faced off in last week’s under-12 competition with the Kenyan winning in straight sets of 6-0, 6-0.

Agufana is however wary of backlash from her Burundian opponent.

“This is a new competition and therefore stakes are high. Obviously I have an edge over her but that will count for nothing tomorrow (today), I just have to play to my best and make sure I get the result,” the Kenyan told Nation Sport.

Cheruto faces a herculean task against Morocco’s Malika Ramaswamy for a place in the second round of the competition. Kenya’s teen sensation Alicia Owegi is seeded third for the competition and will be up against Tanzania’s Faith Nnko as another Kenyan Roselyn Asumwa battles Mao Shana also of Tanzania.

Top seed Eunice Nankulange will open proceeding against home player Shakira Verese on centre court followed by Kenya versus Egypt battle between second seed Habiba Farouk and Kendi Kamunde.

In the boys’ contest, Kenya’s Kael Shah and Mwendwa Mutuku have received byes to the second round courtesy of being second and seventh seeds respectively.