Okutoyi, Cheruto seal big wins as Kenya cruise to 2024 Billie Jean King Cup promotion playoffs
12th June 2024
Kenya defeated Burundi in a do-or die match to move to the next round as Pool B winners.
- Kenya's 2-1 win over Burundi helped the team finish top of their pool.
- Kenya will be joined in the promotional playoffs involving pool winners only by South Africa and Nigeria who topped Pool A and C respectively.
- Kenya will face Nigeria in a revenge clash slated for Thursday.
Africa’s tennis champion Angella Okutoyi and local-based
star Cynthia Cheruto helped Kenya to stay alive in their quest of gaining
promotion from Group III of the Billie Jean King Cup to Euro/Africa Group II
after sealing big wins on Wednesday at the Nairobi Club.
Up against Burundi in a do-or-die Pool B match where only
the winners would be assured of a ticket to the promotional playoffs, Okutoyi
and Cheruto came up with the big wins to steer Kenya to a first-place finish
that kept qualification dreams alive.
It is the 19-year-old Cheruto who got the ball rolling when she
once again showed incredible character to overcome Hoziane Kitambala in a
straight set 6-4, 6-1 victory in the first Singles tie.
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In that match, Cheruto, the African Doubles silver medalist,
fought from 0-3 down in the first set before charging to an impressive 6-4 victory
after converting the third set point in the tenth game.
A much more composed Cheruto upped the ante in the second
set where she was only broken in the opening game before winning the next six
games that secured a 6-1 second set win after breaking Kitambala thrice, a
result that gave Kenya a 1-0 lead.
“I felt really good with how I managed to come from 0-3
down. During that moment, I felt as if the first set was done and dusted but my
coach encouraged me and I pumped myself up and got back into the game at 3-3
before winning the set. The fans also played a really big part because I felt
as if it give me energy,” Cheruto told SportPesa News.
Okutoyi, who is the team captain, then carried the team over
the line with a thrilling 6-4, 6-4 win over Sada Nahimana in the second Singles
tie.
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World Cup qualifiers
Okutoyi, ranked in position 503 on the Women’s Tennis
Association (WTA) rankings, broke Nahimana, who is ranked 364, in the fifth game
before holding her own to take the first set 6-4.
The 2022 Wimbledon Girls Doubles champion then broke in the
seventh game in the second set before weathering some strong fightback in the
next game to take the set 6-4.
This is after saving four break points in the second game
and one in the eighth game.
“Before going to the match, I was mentally ready because I
knew it was not going to be easy since Sada is a competitive player. On the
court I was just trying to be myself, play my game and not think too much about
what she was going to do.
My strategy was to be aggressive, to stay in the points more
and to try to hold on my serve and to break hers which worked for me,” Okutoyi
added.
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With Kenya assured of top spot, coach Francis Rogoi handed
Stacy Yego her first taste of the action in the tournament where she partnered
Roselida Asumwa for the Doubles tie against Nahimana/Kitambala.
The team lost the first set 3-6 but forced a super tiebreak
after clinching the second set 7-5.
Burundi however managed to get the edge with a 7-10 victory
to end the match 2-1 in Kenya’s favour.
Kenya will be joined in the promotional playoffs involving pool
winners only by South Africa and Nigeria who topped Pool A and C respectively.
The three pool winners will compete for one promotion place
in a round-robin format from Thursday to Saturday with the winner getting the promotion
ticket.
Kenya will meet Nigeria on Thursday in a revenge clash as the Nigerians denied Kenya a chance of topping their pool in the 2023 edition, leaving Kenya to miss out on the playoff match.