Optimistic Kenyas Davis Cup team leaves for Madagascar

US based Ismael Changawa led the national men’s tennis team that left the country on Saturday for the Africa Group III Davis Cup tournament that runs from July 13 to 16 in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Changawa is fresh from clinching a third straight Kenya Open title and will team up with Kevin Cheruiyot, Ibrahim Kibet as well as teenage sensation; Olivier Kigotho who will join them later.

Mombasa-based Cheruiyot and Kibet booked their places for the tournament after finishing first and second at the National Trials held at the Nairobi Club in May where Kigotho came third while Changawa earned a direct ticket.

“Initially we had selected three players but there was a provision to add a junior player and we decided to choose from Albert Njogu, Sheila Kotecha, Petty Andanada and Kigotho,” Susan Adhiambo, Tennis Kenya’s Administrator explained.

The team, which trained under top local coach George Oyoo at the Nairobi Club, was optimistic that it could make it past the pool stages and had put in a lot of work in the few weeks leading up to the tournament.

“Changawa being in the team was a no-brainer, he is the top player in the country, he’s been consistent for a long period and on top of that he plays college tennis in the US,” Adhiambo added.

The left-handed Kenya Open singles and mixed doubles champion plays for Seminole State College in Oklahoma, USA and will be using this tournament to prepare for the US open later this year where he was handed a wildcard.

The last time Kenya participated in the tournament was in 2013 where they were eliminated in the pool stages after defeats to Ghana and Zimbabwe.

In the positional play-offs they lost out 2-1 to Botswana to finish in a disappointing 11th place tied with Rwanda.

Kenya first played the Davis Cup in 1974 and its best performance ever since has been reaching the Europe/Africa Zone Group I semifinals in 1992.

The annual event will take place at the University of Antananarivo on the clay outdoors and the teams will be competing for the two slots up for grabs in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II.

Group III is divided into two pools of five teams (Pools A and B). The winner of each pool plays off against the runner-up of the other pool to determine which two nations are promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2017.

Kenya, ranked 127th and the lowest in the group are pooled alongside Algeria, Namibia, Mozambique and Botswana in Pool B with Nigeria, Morocco, Benin, Madagascar and Cameroon in Pool A.