Tunisia and Morocco will be the teams to beat in the Billie Jean King Group 3 tournament next month at Nairobi Club, according to coach Francis Rogoi.
Rogoi said the two nations have players who are ranked higher than the rest of the competition and their experience will play a big role.
“For me, those two countries are the ones we have to watch out for in the tournament. Their players have been playing in various tournaments and we must be prepared for very tough matches against them,” added Rogoi.
The former tennis player said with only one slot available, Team Kenya will have to raise their game in order to qualify for Euro -Africa Group 2 next year.
“This will be a tough tournament. The margin for error is small and from the first game until the last, we have to be at our best,” added Rodrigo
Kenya's top tennis stars led by Angela Okutoyi, sibling Rosehilda Asumwa, Alicia Owegi, and Cynthia Wanjala have been training at the venue ahead of the event at Nairobi Club.
Rogoi said the next two weeks will focus on getting the combinations for the singles and doubles matches.
"The girls arrived in the country on Monday and we have been training just to see who fits where and looking at our best possible combinations for the event,” he noted.
Rogoi said home advantage will be key for the side. "It's an honour to host the event for the first time at home since 1995 and we are urging the fans to turn up in large numbers and support the team.”
Okutoyi, who will spearhead Kenya's quest to gain promotion, said playing tournaments in the USA has sharpened her for the week-long tournament.
“I have played a couple of tournaments in the USA for my college side and Alicia and Roselhilda have done likewise so in terms of form and competition, we are more than ready to play and do the country proud."
Other nations competing in the week-long tournament will include Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
