Fresh for securing qualification to the Euro/Africa Davis Cup Group II, Kevin Cheruiyot, Ibrahim Kibet and Ismael Changawa will play in Futures tournaments this month.
Kibet and Cheruiyot will play at the Egypt Futures tournament in Cairo with prize money of Sh1.5 million while Changawa will play in Lagos where the prize money is Sh2.5 million. Albert Njogu will miss out on the Futures events as he is sitting examinations.
The trio will be using the event to prepare adequately for the Kenya Open tennis tournament slated for December and the Davis Cup Group 2 slated for March next year. Tennis Kenya (TK) administrator Susan Adhiambo said they postponed the Kenya Open to December to allow the players time to take part in the Futures tournaments.
“The three are our best players and we wanted them to play in the Kenya Open. That is why we have shifted the dates to accommodate them for the event which is the highlight of the Kenyan calendar,” added Adhiambo.
The Davis Cup Group 2 will be played next year in March with the draw slated for October 3 in London. Kenya will be up against higher-ranked European opposition in the shape of Poland, Estonia, Greece and Latvia. Other opponents are Asia/ Oceania representatives including Vietnam, Syria, and Sri Lanka. Jamaica, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico are also in the draw for the tournament.
Joining them will be the beaten nations from September’s Group II ties including El Salvador, Paraguay and Guatemala from the American continent; Philippines, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, China (Asia/Oceania) and Zimbabwe, Bulgaria, Denmark, Morocco, Egypt and Georgia ( Europe/Africa). Kenya Davis Cup team coach cum captain Rosemary Owino said with solid preparations and exposure, the team can be competitive in Group 2 next year.
“We have a good crop of players and with the right preparations, I believe we can cause a few upsets against some of the higher-ranked opposition,” added Owino.
She said the win on home soil will be a morale booster for their hopes next year.