Ismael Changawa and Ibrahim Kibet lead a star-studded field for the Kenya Open tournament scheduled for October 5-13 at the Nairobi Club.
The two will be up against Uganda's Duncan Mugabe and Zambian Edgar Kazembe, who will be seeking to steal the show from the hosts. Also, gunning for the men's crown will be Kevin Cheruiyot, Albert Njogu, Derrick Ominde and Sheil Kotecha.
In the women's category, Angela Okutoyi is expected to defend her crown alongside runner up Shufaa Changawa, Judy Nkatha, Shania Kaur, Rosehilda Asumwa, Alicia Owegi, Cynthia Cheruto, Linda Serena and Radha Raja, among others in the week-long contest.
Also eyeing Okutoyi's crown will be Aishya Niyonkuru of Burundi and Gabon's Celestine Avomo Ella.
The event will end a busy three months of tennis with the country expected to host the ITF women's World Tour event at Peponi School, starting next week. Kenya will host the Davis Cup tournament in September as well as a feature in the All Africa Games this month in Morocco.
Tennis Kenya (TA) Administrator Susan Adhiambo said the federation is keen on securing on sponsorship for the event which is the highlight of the tennis calendar.
“The federation is making every effort to look for a sponsor for the event and we hope in the coming few weeks, we can announce title sponsor and prize money for the event,” added Adhiambo.
Elsewhere, the All Africa Games team has intensified its preparation in Valencia, Spain. The team made up of Ibrahim Kibet, Ismael Changawa and Kevin Cheruiyot are under the tutelage of coach Rosemary Owino and have been in Spain for the last three weeks.
Owino termed the training camp in Spain as an eye-opener and said it will aid their preparations for the continental games as well as the Davis Cup in September. “Training here and the facilities have been excellent and I believe the all-round game of the players will improve,” added Owino.
