Kenyan top seed Ismael Changawa and Shil Kotecha bowed out of the Uganda Futures tournament at the first hurdle in Kampala.
Changawa lost to Ireland's Julian Bradley 6-2, 6-3 while Kotecha fell 6-1, 7-5 to William Bushamuka of USA. Against Changawa, Bradley dictated the pace from the first serve as he broke the Kenyan on several occasions in the opening set.
Changawa put up resistance in the second set, matching the Irishman serve but crumbled to bow out. Changawa said despite the defeat, he was upbeat about the team chances in the upcoming Kenya Open and Davis Cup tournaments later in the year.
“It's been a good learning curve and going forward, we have learnt our lessons and I expect to be in peak condition come the start of the two tournaments,” he added.
Kotecha, on the other hand, was blown away in the first set as he struggled to contain the American. Kotecha fought hard in the second set but came up short at the end.
Kotecha said they have positives to take from the three-week event in Uganda.
"My all-around game has improved and we met some of the best players from across the globe. Going forward to the Davis Cup, All Africa Games and Kenya Open it will boost our confidence," he added.
In the doubles category, Changawa teamed up with Giovanni Samaha of Liberia to beat Ibrahim Yego and Kevin Cheruiyot to win 6-3, 6-4.
