Kenya outlast Mozambique in Davis Cup tie

Kenya's Ibrahim Kibet plays a backhand shot against Mozambique's Bruno Nhavene during their Davis Cup Africa Zone Group III Tennis Championship match on June 19, 2018 at the Nairobi Club. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Having already fended off Mozambique and Uganda, second seeds Kenya will take a well-deserved rest on Wednesday, before winding up their group B matches with games against Namibia and third seeds Algeria on Thursday and Friday respectively.
  • The six-day championship has brought together nine countries divided in two groups of four and five each.
  • The top two sides in each pool will qualify for the play-offs with the winners securing promotion to the Euro/Africa David Cup Group II.

Hosts Kenya on Tuesday continued their dominance in the Davis Cup Africa Zone Group III Tennis Championship as they collected an easy 3-0 win over Mozambique

This was Kenya’s second win of the tournament following their 3-0 win over neighbours Uganda on Monday, and they need only one more win in pool B to qualify for the semi-finals.

Playing the first match of the day, Ibrahim Kibet set Kenya on the path to victory with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Bruno Navenhe in the first rubber, before vacating the court for Kenyan top seed Ismail Mzai Changawa.

The left-handed Changawa, who is a part-time Hiphop artist going by the name “CMG”, dug deep against Mozambique’s top seed Franco Mata, but managed to edge him 6-1, 6-4.

Changawa had it easy in the first set, but had to work hard in the second half as 38-year old Mata won the first two games and kept threatening to break the home player.

The duo, who are no strangers having previously played together in the USA, were tied at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 in the second set, before the Kenyan top seed broke away and hammered eight aces in the next two games to secure victory.

“I was more comfortable in the first set, but in the second set I was a little sleepy. I thought I would win that second set easily but it proved to be a challenge.

Kenya's Ismael Changawa plays a forehand shot against Mozambique's Franco Mata during their Davis Cup Africa Zone Group III Tennis Championship match on June 19, 2018 at the Nairobi Club. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“I know Mata very well because we have been together in the USA. He is now a coach so he has some good experience so I knew I had to be aggressive from start to finish,” the 21 year-old Changawa said after the match.

Changawa’s game ushered in the men’s double where Kevin Cheruiyot and second seed Sheil Kotecha teamed up and easily swept aside the Mozambican duo of Jonas Alberto and Hercillio Seda 6-0, 6-1 to complete the sweep.

In the other Group B tie, Uganda slumped to their second consecutive defeat, losing 3-0 to Namibia. In pool A, top seeds Benin overcame Cameroon 2-1, as Nigeria saw off Rwanda 3-0.

Having already fended off Mozambique and Uganda, second seeds Kenya will take a well-deserved rest on Wednesday, before winding up their group B matches with games against Namibia and third seeds Algeria on Thursday and Friday respectively.

The six-day championship has brought together nine countries divided in two groups of four and five each. The top two sides in each pool will qualify for the play-offs with the winners securing promotion to the Euro/Africa David Cup Group II.