Seline Ahoya leads a star-studded Team Kenya to the ITF Zonal Championships slated for this Saturday in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Ahoya, who impressed last October's Africa Championships in Mozambique, is accompanied Nancy Kawira and Michelle Murage in the Under-14 category.
Melissa Mwakha spearheads the charge in the girls' Under-16 category, where she is joined by Sophie Nelima and Mercyline Oresha.
Baraka Ominde, Alvin Kimathi and Brian Odingo have been entered in the boys' 16 and under category with Ayush Bhandari, Jeff Okuku and Malli Muondu leading the charge in the boys' 14 and under category.
The team trained in December, broke for the Christmas and New Year before returning to camp on Tuesday.
They will face other regional teams including Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Djibouti and Sudan.
Coach Veronica Osogo is upbeat about the team's chances following an successful 2022 season.
"The players have the desire and hunger to do well in Bujumbura. We trained for the better part of December and our last two training sessions were all about putting putting final touches to before departure on Friday,” said Osogo.
Osogo expects tough competition, especially from Uganda and Rwanda during the week-long event.
“Traditionally, Uganda and Rwanda have been our biggest competitors. They always push us hard. I also expect Burundi to be strong too now that they are the home team,” added Osogo.
Ahoya said she is looking forward to doing the country proud.
“2022 was a good year and I hope we can maintain the winning run in the New Year,” said Ahoya.
Ominde said he is hopeful the boys team emulating the girls, who have been a success story so far.
"We have lived in the shadow of the girls. However, I am confident the boys will do well at the zonals and o on to feature at the continental competition," said Ominde.
The winners will qualify for this year's Africa Championships whose date and venue will be determined by the Confederation of Africa Tennis (CAT) in due course.
