Rising star Jenny Compell is hoping to improve on her offensive and tactical skills as she prepares for Africa Regional Hopes Week and Challenge qualifier set for March next year.
Fresh from winning the 2019 Jinja Open girls' under 13 title and finishing second in the U-18 category in Uganda, Compell resumes training today ahead of the showpiece meant for only U–12 and U–15.
“I am happy with my performance in Jinja and I am looking forward for more challenges. My backhand worked really well and with more training, I can only get better,” stated the 11-year-old Compell.
Coach Michael Kuria was full of praises for the player following her feat in Uganda, saying she only needs to tighten a few loose ends going forward. Compell, also known as 'Shish' was the youngest player in the Kenyan delegation to 2019 All African Games in Morocco.
“She was on point in all aspects of the game from attack to defence and even game management. We will now need to work more on her offensive play and align her tactical game thinking for advanced kind of competition,” noted Kuria.
Kuria said the pre-teen, who trains at the St. Theresa's Table Tennis Club in Eastleigh is very promising and needs to play in more tournaments to gather a wealth of experience. The 2019 Jinja Open drew players from Tanzania, Kenya and hosts Uganda.
“This kind of tournaments will, in the long run, help her gather experience. With exposure, she is bound to shine and find her way into the elite category in the global stage,” he added.