Kenya's wheelchair tennis team seeking redemption in Italy

Kenya’s women wheelchair tennis team coach Lawrence Karanja is optimistic about his charges’ chances at next month’s ITF BNP Paribas World Team Cup.

The annual competition will be staged at Baia di Conte and Alghero Tennis Clubs, both in Sardinia, Italy, from May 1-7 this year. Kenya won the African qualifiers held in Nairobi back in February to seal their return to the global showpiece.

Kenya will be represented by Phoebe Masika, Jane Ndenga, Asiya Sururu and Elizabeth Njoki in the week-long competition.

The country first qualified for the World Cup in 2014 held in Alphen, Netherlands finishing last in the 12-team competition after failing to win a single match including the position 11/12 place play-off against Russia.

They, however, walked away with the team of the year trophy for their achievements of qualifying for the World Cup.

Karanja, who coached the team in the Netherlands tournament, has vowed to ensure the team does not end up last this time round.

“The team has got more experience since 2014 and we believe it will come in handy in Italy. Winning the competition is of course a big ask, but I am confident we can improve on our ranking,” Karanja told Nation Sport.

The team has been in non-residential training since the beginning of the month and will from Friday move their training sessions to the Australian High Commission hard court surface in Muthaiga, Nairobi.

“There is a lot of improvement from the forward, back hand and tactical play. We had a problem with their tactics but from the training we have had, I am happy that we have improved and we are confident of winning a match depending on which teams we will be seeded against.”

While Sururu and Njoki will be making their maiden appearance at the event, Ndenga and Masika are looking for improved performances.

Kenya’s top ranked player Ndenga has challenged her teammates to make the country proud in the competition.

“The team is a mixture of youth and experience and I believe with proper training and exposure, we can go far in the World Cup,” she said.

In Sardinia, Kenya will come up against defending champions Netherlands, runners-up Britain, Japan, Germany among others. The World Cup will also feature the men’s competition, quad event and the junior category.

The BNP Paribas World Team Cup is often referred to as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis.