Njogu, Kotecha sweat to reach ITF final
What you need to know:
- Njogu, who is the tournament’s third seed, had to dig deep in the first set before dismissing 12th seed Maxime Dubouch from France 7-5 at the tie-break of five and 6-3
- Njogu now seeks his maiden victory against fourth seed Rostislav Galfinger from Kazakstan in the boys’ final at 9am
- Kotecha, who is now in line for her third title, will face third seed Van Der Merwe from South Africa in the girls’ final. Der Merwe eased past second seed Aisha Niyonkuru 6-1, 6-3 to reach the final
Kenyans Albert Njogu and Sneha Kotecha overcame stubborn opposition to storm their respective finals of the ITF East Africa Junior Circuit 18 and Under championships at the Nairobi Club on Friday.
Njogu, who is the tournament’s third seed, had to dig deep in the first set before dismissing 12th seed Maxime Dubouch from France 7-5 at the tie-break of five and 6-3.
It was the second time Njogu was reaching final of the ITF East Africa Junior Circuit 18 and Under competition this year, having also reached the semi-finals once and quarterfinals thrice.
Njogu now seeks his maiden victory against fourth seed Rostislav Galfinger from Kazakstan in the boys’ final at 9am.
Galfinger also staged a thrilling three-set display before stunning top seed Abdoul Shakur Kabura from Burundi in 7-5, 3-6 and 6-3 to set up Njogu.
It was yet another nerve-racking three-set showcase as top seed Kotecha rallied from a second set defeat to waylay fourth seed Tea Lukic from Germany 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(8).
Kotecha produced good serves and rallies to easily take the first but Lukic improved her backhand and was more aggressive to take the second set.
“Her consistency and backhand bothered me into the decisive set where fatigue also crept in. I am glad to have won,” said Kotecha, who is expecting an equally challenging final.
Kotecha, who is now in line for her third title, will face third seed Van Der Merwe from South Africa in the girls’ final. Der Merwe eased past second seed Aisha Niyonkuru 6-1, 6-3 to reach the final.
Kotecha will be meeting Der Merwe for the first time in two years starting at 9am. They last met in the semi-finals of the Africa Masters Under-14 Championship where Kotecha won on her way to winning the championship.
“Two years is a long time and Der Merwe has improved besides being aggressive. It will be a great final,” predicted Kotecha.
Njogu, 17, also expects a tough showdown with Galfinger whom he is meeting for the first time but feels inspired to chalk his maiden victory. “I am going all the way and hope for the best,” said Njogu, a form three student at Mbagathi High School.
