Hosts Kenya Monday stunned top seeds Morocco 2-1 as the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III kicked off in style at the Nairobi Club.
Kenya won the doubles tie-breaker 6-4, 7-5 inspired by some hard-fighting spirit from the pair of Angella Okutoyi and Cynthia Wanjala Cheruto on the newly-refurbished clay courts.
Coach Francis Rogoi’s side started the Pool “A” match on a wrong-footing after Alabama University Biology student Alicia Owegi succumbed to Aya El Aouni 6-3, 6-0 in front of hundreds of fans who turned up including Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba.
Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion Okutoyi restored Kenya’s hopes after winning the second singles match 7-5, 6-3 against Malak El Allami to set up a mouth-watering tie-breaker.
Rogoi’s choice of Okutoyi (a freshman at Auburn University) and Cheruto (form four student at Mbagathi Road Secondary School) worked like magic.
They put on some great show with strong serves and volleys to outdo the Moroccan pair of Malak and Aouni, who are fresh from competing at the Roland Garros Junior Championships in France.
Every Kenyan point was celebrated with Isukuti dancing tunes and hit song Angella from Boutross.
Twice Kenyan fans had to be warned during Okutoyi v Allami match that celebrating a point before ball goes out of court could lead to a point deduction.
After the huge win, Rogoi said Day One is always the most difficult.
“It wasn’t an easy day. There was a lot of pressure on us, but we were able to pull it off together. Morocco is like any other team, so we’ll not underrate any team,” he said.
Wanjala, who stole the show in doubles with her powerful serves that earned Kenya a couple of aces, said she was tensed at first, “but felt free after Kenya put one game in the bag”.
“Playing in front of the home crowd felt really good,” added Wanjala, whose role model in tennis is Okutoyi who made history by becoming the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam by clinching the Junior Wimbledon Doubles title partnering Dutch lady Rose Marie Nijkamp.
“The two matches I played today were tough, but I collected quality energy from the crowd and my mum (Mary Ndonga) who came here to offer support. The win is big motivation for us considering that I was under pressure to deliver today. We will give our best in our upcoming matches, but we take one match at a time,” said Okutoyi.
