Zayyan Virani in a past match
Third-seed Zayyan Virani is bullish about winning the J30 tournament after a dominant win in Friday’s semifinals at the Nairobi Club.
Virani defeated Hursh Patel of India 7-5 6-2 to set up a final showdown against Vincent Vsiker of Germany, who defeated Moeketsi Mokete of South Africa 7-6(2) 6-2 in the second semi.
Virani will be under pressure to deliver after watching his compatriots fall by the wayside.
“Learning from the coaches and playing against some of the top young players in Europe has been an eye-opener,” he said.
Virani may tweak some of his plays for the final.
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve to test my opponent. I have a couple of areas I believe I can improve on in the decider,” he added.
Familiarity with the playing surface at Nairobi Club helped his course.
“I have played here several times and being used to these surroundings helped with my game,” said Virani.
He termed the first set as one of the toughest he had all week.
“Quite competitive first set b,ut I was able to pull through. The second set was far easier. I was able to capitalise on his errors,” he added.
Virani beat Louis Collos of France (7-6(7) 7-6(4)) in the quarterfinals, Canadian Majumdar Moreau (6-0 6-0) in the second round and Arav Dhekial of India (6-2 6-3) in the opening contest.
The second leg of the tournament will be played next week at the same venue.
