Homeboys Ryan Randiek and Derrick Ominde crashed out of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) East Africa Junior circuit first leg yesterday.
Randiek surrendered a one-set lead to fall 4-6, 6-0 and 6-0 to American Samir Banerjee while Ominde fell 6-4 and 7-6(3) to Walid Ahouda of Morocco.
The matches played at Nairobi Club yesterday saw Randiek bag the first set but found the going tough in the subsequent sets, losing his bid to advance to the quarter-finals.
The youngster admitted that he was erratic in the second and third sets, allowing his opponent back into the game.
Randiek, who is seeking to sign off the junior level with a title this year, said Banerjee took advantage of his mistakes to proceed to the last eight.
“It was a tough match, especially in the second and third sets. I took control in the opening set but could not keep the fire burning. I was in a rush to gather more points and ended up not guarding my zone well. He capitalised on my mistakes and by the time I realised it, the damage had already been done,” said Randiek.
Randiek vowed to come back stronger in the second leg at the same venue on Monday. He said he will use the remaining time of the week to rectify the mistakes he made as well as concentrate on the doubles tournament.
“I want to restore my confidence and work on the few areas I feel I made mistakes in before the second leg. I have to work on my patience especially when I am trailing and how I generally read matches,” said Randiek.
Ominde observed that his returns were a letdown but remains confident of putting a decent show in the second and third legs of the tournament.
“I played well but scattered a handful of returns which gifted my opponent free points. My volleys were not good either. I will be seeking to bag more than 40 points in the next legs,” said Ominde.
The elimination of the duo marked the end of the road for Kenyan boys in the singles.
